Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2017

Notes:
Yogesh Chander Modi, a 1984 batch IPS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, has taken charge as new Director General of National Investigation Agency (NIA) and will hold the post till his superannuation, i.e. May 31, 2021. He succeeded Sharad Kumar Sinha, who completed his tenure on October 30, 2017. Prior to this appointment, Modi was special director in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Apart from this, Modi was also part of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that probed the Gujarat riots cases in August 2010 and remained part of the team till July 2012. NIA was set up after an Act was enacted on December 31, 2008. The federal probe agency is tasked with probing terrorism and terror-financing related cases.

Notes:
India has gained 30 places to rank 100th among 190 countries in the latest ease of doing business ranking by the World Bank (WB), in its Doing Business 2018 report. The improvement was due to a slew of reforms in taxation, licensing, investor protection and bankruptcy resolution. New Zealand has topped the list, followed by Singapore, Denmark, South Korea, Hong Kong, United States and United Kingdom.

Notes:
The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has increased the maximum age of joining National Pension Scheme (NPS) Private Sector from the 60 to 65 years of age to increase the pension coverage in the country. Now, any Indian citizen, resident or non-resident, of 60-65 years of age can join the NPS and continue up to the age of 70 years. A subscriber joining NPS after the age of 60 years will now have an option of normal exit from NPS after completion of three years. In this case, the subscriber will be required to utilise at least 40% of the corpus for purchase of annuity and the remaining amount can be withdrawn in lumpsum. However, if the subscriber wants to exit from NPS before completion of 3 years, he or she will have to utilize at-least 80% of the corpus for purchase of annuity and the remaining can be withdrawn in lumpsum. In case of death of the subscriber during his/her stay in NPS, the entire corpus will be paid to the nominee of the subscriber.

Notes:
Olympic bronze-medallist Gagan Narang won a silver medal in the men’s 50m rifle prone event of the Commonwealth Shooting Championships on November 2, 2017. Another Indian, Swapnil Suresh Kusale bagged the bronze in the same event, while Dane Sampson of Australia won the gold. In women’s 25m pistol final, India’s Suraj Singh won the bronze, while the gold and silver went to host country’s L Yaumleuskay and E Galiabovitch respectively.

Notes:
The International Conference on “Ramayan Circuit and Mithila-Awadh Relations” has started at Janakpur in Nepal on November 3, 2017. Eminent experts from India and Nepal are participating in 2 day event. It must be noted that during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Nepal Visit in 2014, an agreement was signed between India and Nepal to develop Ayodhya and Janakpur as twin cities.

Notes:
PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 3-day long World Food India (WFI) 2017 fair at the India Gate Lawns in New Delhi on November 3, 2017, which aimed to attract $10 billion investment in food processing sector and to generate 1 million jobs in the next 3 years in India. The purpose of the WFI 2017 is to transform food economy and realize the vision of doubling of farmers’ income by establishing India as a preferred investment destination and sourcing hub for the global food processing industry. Approx 200 companies from 30 countries, 18 ministerial and business delegations, etc are participating in the food fair.

Notes:
The Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) is located in Ponda taluka of northeastern Goa and covers an area of 8 km2. A wide variety of animal life can be encountered, including: sambar deer, Indian bison, Malabar giant squirrel, Indian peafowl and many species of snakes.

Notes:
Kenneth Juster, a top economic expert on India, has been appointed as the new US Ambassador to India, which is unanimously confirmed by US Senate on November 3, 2017. He will replace Indian-American Richard Verma as the top American diplomat to India. The position has been lying vacant since January 20 after Mr. Verma resigned from the post after the swearing-in of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the U.S.

Notes:
The 1st Heli Expo India and International Civil Helicopter Conclave-2017 was inaugurated at the Pawan Hans Heliport, Rohini in New Delhi on November 4, 2017. The 2-day conclave was organised by Pawan Hans Limited, a Mini Ratna company of Ministry of Civil Aviation in association with PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry with theme ‘Enhancing Connectivity’.

Notes:
Dr Anil K. Tripathi, scientist at Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, has been honoured with the prestigious “Bharat Gaurav Award” – 2017 in Science and Technology stream at India International Centre (IIC) in New Delhi on October 4, 2017. He won the award in recognition for his meritorious achievements, outstanding performance and individual excellence throughout his life.