Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2017

Notes:
As per Karnataka budget 2017–18, the Karnataka government has allocated Rs.100 crore for setting up of government subsidized chain of food centres “Namma Canteens” across the state to provide breakfast for Rs. 5 and lunch, dinner for Rs. 10 each to the common man. Approx 200 Namma Canteens will be set up in Bengaluru alone. Apart from this, the state lifted VAT on liquor, announced free eggs for Anganwadi workers and free LPG service for 5 lakh poor families.

Notes:
The HDFC bank has launched an instant digital Loan Against Securities (LAS) facility in collaboration with the National Securities Depository (NSDL), which allows customers to avail loans in less than 3 minutes. The service will also be available to customers with no credit history. The bank will offer 10.5% interest rate on the product and will soon expand the offering to other securities such as mutual funds, bonds and insurance policies. Under this facility, customers can avail a minimum loan of Rs 1 lakh and maximum loan up to Rs 20 lakh.

Notes:
The World Bank (WB) has recently sanctioned a $210 million loan for the West Bengal to strengthen the state’s Gram Panchayats (GPs), the lowest tier of rural local governments. The loan will be used to strengthen local communities’ participation in the planning, budgeting and financial eanagement of projects undertaken in rural areas, where most of the poor in the state reside. The loan has a grace period of eight years and a maturity of 15 years.

Notes:
The first fully India-made 12-coach train “Medha” has flagged off between Dadar to Borivali at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The rake can run at a speed of 110 kmph and has a capacity of 6,050 passengers and the number of seats is 1,168. Medha rake costs Rs. 43.23 crore and has been manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, which has installed LED lighting to reduce energy consumption. This will save energy by approximately 30-35% as compared to the existing rakes. This rake has in-built systems to minimise breakdowns during the travel.

Notes:
The 5th International Convention on “Changing Dynamics of Commodities Market” has started in New Delhi to help the farmers’ participation in the trading of food grains.The conference is organised by the Commodity Participants Association of India (CPAI).

Notes:
Amitabh Bachchan has recently launched the world’s first mobile app on ‘ABC of Breast Health’ at an event organized by the Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The app will be available in both IOS and Android versions and is free to download. The purpose of the app is to empower the nation about every aspect of breast cancer and benign non-cancer breast health issues in 12 languages viz. English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya and Assamese.

Notes:
Shahid Afridi, the former Pakistan captain, has become the new brand ambassador for the 5th edition of the ODI Blind Cricket World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in January 2018. The World Cup will be played in One Day International (ODI) format and will be hosted by Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Pakistan.

Notes:
The ICICI bank has recently launched a mobile banking app “Mera iMobile” for rural customers that allow them to access banking services as well as information on agri services. The app is open for both bank customers as well as others and is available in 11 different languages. The list of banking services includes Kisan Credit Card, Gold Loan, Farm Equipment Loan and loans to Self-Help Groups (SHGs). The app also enables them to undertake an array of frequently used banking services from their smartphone, without using mobile internet services. Additionally, it is the first banking app to offer agriculture related information like crop-wise mandi prices of nearly 230 crop varieties across 460 mandis. It also displays taluka-wise weather update for close to 3700 talukas across and over 300 districts, aiding farmers to plan their sowing and harvesting activities conveniently and in an informed manner.

Notes:
Upendra Tripathy, an IAS officer of Karnataka Cadre, has been appointed as the full-time Interim Director General (IDG) of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). The purpose of the ISA is to provide a dedicated platform for cooperation among solar resource rich countries where the global community including bilateral and multilateral organizations, corporates, industry, and stakeholders can make a positive contribution to assist and help achieve the common goals of increasing use of the solar energy in meeting energy needs of prospective ISA member countries in a safe, convenient, affordable, equitable and sustainable manner. The headquarters of ISA is located at National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), Gwalpahari, Gurgaon.

Notes:
Maggie MacDonnell of Canada has won the 2017 Global Teacher Prize for changing the lives of her students and transforming her community in village of Salluit, which has a high rate of suicide. Salluit is an Inuit village deep in the Canadian Arctic. It is one of the world’s most remote regions, surrounded by snow and ice. The Global Teacher Prize is awarded by the Varkey Foundation under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister, and Emir of Dubai.