1) Which
state on 5 January 2016 became the first to sign a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) with the Centre for the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) reforms for
state-owned power distribution companies? –Jharkhand
Explanation: Mineral-rich
but energy-deficient state of Jharkhand became the first state to sign an MoU
with the Union Government for the ambitious Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana
(UDAY)
reforms scheme. Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das and Piyush Goyal,
Union Minister of State for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy were
present during the signing ceremony held on 5 January.
UDAY is the financial turnaround and revival package
for electricity distribution companies of India initiated by the Union Govt.
with the intent to find a permanent solution to the financial mess that the
power distribution is in. The Cabinet had in November 2015 approved UDAY to
ease the financial crunch faced by power distribution companies
(discoms). The scheme was launched to tackle the Rs 4.3 lakh crore debt on
discoms besides measures to cut power thefts and align consumer tariff with
cost of generating electricity.
Four major states, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra
and Odisha, have already given their in-principle approval to join UDAY. The
other states that are on board UDAY are Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Jammu &
Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana,
Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
2) The
Iran-Saudi crisis became more serious on 4 and 5 January 2016 with a few Saudi
Arabian allies calling-off their diplomatic relations with Iran. The crisis is
becoming the most serious regional crisis in the Middle-East in decades. Which
are the prominent countries which recalled their ambassadors from Iran? – Bahrain,
Kuwait and Sudan
Explanation: Saudi
Arabia’s embassy in Tehran was ransacked and set alight on 2 January 2016 after
it executed Shia Muslim cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others. In response
to attacks on its embassy, Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties with Iran on
3 January. Next day Bahrain and Sudan also severed their relations with Iran.
On 5 January another Saudi ally Kuwait announced recalling its ambassador from
Iran. The United Arab Emirates, on its part, downgraded its diplomatic team in
Iran. This further deepened the regional crisis.
Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran are major
rivals for power in the Middle East and back opposing sides in the conflicts in
Syria and Yemen. With Saudi-Iranian diplomatic ties severed, chances of success
resolving the Syrian conflict now look ever more distant.
3) Who
was appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Wipro Limited, which
is India’s third largest IT export firm? – Abid Ali Z. Neemuchwala
Explanation: Abid
Ali Z. Neemuchwala was named as company’s CEO on 4 January 2016. He will
replace T.K. Kurien, who has been appointed as the Executive Vice Chairman.
Both the appointments will be effective from 1 February 2016.
Neemuchwala, a former CEO of the BPO unit of Tata
Consultancy Services (TCS), was working as the group president and chief
operating officer (COO) of the company till now.
Wipro is a multi-national IT consulting and system
integration firm being headed by its Chairman Azim Premji. Its revenues during
2015 stood at around $7 billion while the firm was valued at around $35
billion. It is the third largest IT company in India after TCS and Infosys.
4) What
is the name of the 15-year old Mumbai schoolboy who came to news for becoming
the first-ever player to notch up a four-figure score by smashing an unbeaten
knock of 1009 in an inter-school tournament organised by the Mumbai Cricket
Association (MCA) on 4 January 2016? –Pranav Dhanawade
Explanation: Pranav
Dhanawade, the opening batsman of Smt KC Gandhi School (Kalyan), scored an
unbeaten 1009 off 323 balls, a knock which comprised 129 fours and 59 sixes
against Arya Gurukul School. This innings came in the HT Bhandari Cup
inter-school tournament organised by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA).
The ground in Kalyan was relatively small and the Arya
Gurukul School bowling attack didn’t have a name of repute in its ranks.
However, the sheer volume of runs Dhanawade scored made it a special knock. He
bettered the best-ever individual score in any form of cricket; bettering AEJ
Collins’ 628 not out for Clark’s House against North Town in 1899 in the UK.
The epic knock ended when his school declared at 1465,
which is also a world record. His school went past Victoria’s 1107 against New
South Wales made way back in 1926.
5) Two
Indian cities, Delhi and Mumbai, made it to the top-30 list of the World’s most
powerful, productive and connected cities prepared by international real estate
consultancy JLL. Which city topped this list that was released on 3 January
2016? – Tokyo
Explanation: The
list is topped by Tokyo, which along with New York, London and Paris, make the
top four ‘super cities’. These four were the destination of over 50% of all
foreign capital invested in the Global Top 30 cities.
India’s financial capital Mumbai has been ranked 22nd while
the national capital Delhi is placed at 24th place in this
list. Mumbai is also on the top-10 “improvers” list. Top-10 improvers are
cities whose scores in the index of “commercial attraction” have improved the
most over the past year.
Other cities where commercial attraction has improved
significantly include Milan (Italy), Istanbul (Turkey), Tehran (Iran), Madrid
(Spain), Cairo (Egypt), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Lagos (Nigeria), Jakarta
(Indonesia) and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).
7 JAN 2015
1) Which
country on 6 January 2016 claimed to have successfully conducted a hydrogen
bomb test after which the UN Security Council tentatively set an emergency
meeting? – North Korea
Explanation: North
Korea government on 6 January claimed that it has successfully conducted a
hydrogen bomb test. This announcement raised the anxiety among leading
countries. A hydrogen bomb is generally more powerful than a nuclear bomb.
Consequently, the UN Security Council has tentatively set an emergency meeting
after this test. However, it was not confirmed whether this North Korean claim
was true. Russia, as well as a few other nations, raised serious doubts about
this claim.
If this North Korean claim stands true, it will be a
breach of the U.N. Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). CTBT is the
universally accepted norm against nuclear testing has been respected by 183
countries since 1996.
In December 2015, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had
claimed that his country had developed a hydrogen bomb, a step up from the less
powerful atomic bomb. North Korea conducted underground tests to set off
nuclear devices in 2006, 2009 and 2013, for which it has been subject to U.N.
Security Council sanctions banning trade and financing activities that aid its
weapons programme.
2) In
a bid to curb vehicular pollution, the Union Govt. on 6 January 2016 decided to
implement stricter emission norms of Bharat Stage (BS) VI and skip the BS-V
norm altogether. BS VI will be implemented from which date? – 1
April 2020
Explanation: The
decision was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting held on 6 January 2016 and
chaired by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari. This means that
India would go straight from Euro-IV complaint petrol and diesel to Euro-VI
fuel by 2020.
At present, BS-IV auto fuels are being supplied in
whole of northern India covering J&K, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, Delhi, parts of Rajasthan and western UP. The rest of the country
has BS-III grade fuel.
Bharat Stage emission standards, introduced in 2000,
are emission standards that have been set up the Central government to regulate
the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engine equipment,
including motor vehicles. These norms are based on European regulations.
3) World’
largest electronics and technology trade show the Consumer Electronics Show
(CES) was inaugurated on 6 January 2016. This annual show which attracts major
companies and industry professionals from all over the world is held at which
city? – Las Vegas (Nevada, US)
Explanation: CES
is the internationally renowned electronics and technology trade show that is
held each year in Las Vegas during January. It is sponsored by the Consumer
Electronics Association. The 2016 edition of CES has attracted over 3,600
companies from across the world.
CES is the most awaited event for the electronics and
technology industry as it features the upcoming next-generation innovations to
be introduced in the market place. However, the event is restricted to trade
participants and is not open to general public.
4) Which associate bank of SBI was imposed a fine of
Rs. 1 crore by the RBI during January 2016 for violation of some of its
instructions? – State Bank of Travancore
Explanation: The
penalty on State Bank of Travancore (SBT) was imposed for violation of RBI’s
including reporting of data to Central Repository of Information on Large
Credits (CRILC). RBI set up CRILC to collect, store, and disseminate data on
all borrowers’ credit exposures.
Banks are required to report all such information
here, including classification of an account as SMA (Special Mention Accounts),
on all borrowers having aggregate fund-based and non-fund-based exposure of Rs.
5 crore and above.
SBT has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram and is
one of the most prominent associate banks of the SBI. It was formerly known as
the Travancore Bank Ltd and became associate bank of SBI in 1960.
5) Who
was sworn in as the 8th Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) of
the Central Information Commission during January 2016? – Radha
Krishna Mathur
Explanation: 62-year
old Radha Krishna Mathur became the 8th Chief Information
Commissioner (CIC) after he was administered the oath of office by President
Pranab Mukherjee in a function held in the Rashtrapati Bhawan on 4 January
2016.
Mathur is a former Defence Secretary and he will have
tenure of around 3 years. He was appointed CIC during December 2015 to succeed
the outgoing Vijai Sharma.
The CIC heads the Central Information Commission that
was established in 2005 under the Right to Information Act. The
Commission includes one Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and not more
than 10 Information Commissioners (IC) who are appointed by the President of
India.
8 JAN 2015
1) Jammu
& Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away on 7 January
2016 at AIIMS in New Delhi. Sayeed, a two time chief minister of J&K and
India’s first Muslim Union Home Minister, had founded the Jammu and Kashmir People’s
Democratic Party (JKPDP) in which year? – 1999
Explanation: Mufti
Mohammad Sayeed was the founder of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic
Party (JKPDP) that he founded in 1999 primarily to persuade the Indian
government into an unconditional dialogue with the Kashmiri people. JKPDP is
the ruling coalition partner in J&K along with the BJP.
Sayeed was in the Congress till 1987, and had been
minister for tourism in the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1986, after which he
joined former Prime Minister V P Singh’s National Front government as India’s
Home Minister, thus becoming the first Muslim to hold this post. His short
stint there (Dec 1989- Nov 90) was marred by the kidnapping by Kashmiri
militants, of his daughter Rubaiyya Sayeed.
He served twice as the Chief Minister of Jammu and
Kashmir; for three years from November 2002 till November 2005 and then again
from March 2015 until his death.
2) The
Union Cabinet on 6 January 2016 approved the conversion of MUDRA Ltd, a non-
banking financial company (NBFC), into MUDRA Bank. This bank thus will become a
wholly-owned subsidiary of which entity? –SIDBI
Explanation: The
MUDRA bank (or MUDRA Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) Bank)
will undertake re-finance operations and provide support services with focus on
portal management; data analysis etc. apart from any other activity entrusted
or advised by Government of India.
The Union Cabinet also gave its approval for setting
up of a Credit Guarantee Fund for loans disbursed under the Pradhan Mantri
Micro Units Development Refinance Agency (MUDRA) Yojana. The National Credit
Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd (NCGTC Ltd), a wholly-owned company of Government
of India, constituted under the Companies Act to manage and operate various
credit guarantee funds, shall be the Trustee of the Fund.
MUDRA Bank and a Credit Guarantee Fund was proposed to
be set up with a refinance corpus of Rs. 20,000 crore and a corpus of Rs. 3,000
crore respectively in the Budget 2015-16.
3) The
Union Cabinet approved the closure of which 3 companies of the HMT Limited on 6
January 2016? – 1) HMT Watches, 2) HMT Chinar Watches and 3) HMT
Bearings
Explanation: The
Union Cabinet approved the closure of the iconic HMT Watches along with HMT
Chinar Watches and HMT Bearings. It also offered a voluntary retirement scheme
(VRS) to its employees as per the 2007 pay scales. These three companies were
part of HMT Limited (formerly known as Hindustan Machine Tools).
The Govt. also announced a cash assistance of Rs.
427.48 crore, with which the three loss-making subsidiaries will attain closure
after separation of about a thousand employees through VRS/VSS and settlement
of their dues. Voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) package at 2007 pay scales was
approved to mitigate the hardships being faced by the employees.
HMT Watches, the flagship company of the HMT Group,
had launched its first batch of watch in 1961. This was done after its first
watch manufacturing unit was established in collaboration with M/s Citizen
Watch Co., Japan. HMT went to become a household name in watches and was called
‘Timekeepers to the Nation’.
But since the late 80s, HMT started facing numerous
hardships due to archaic management policies and arrival of several new-age
competitors. Its sales were affected. Despite several financial packages by
government the company’s performance continued to decline till it became a sick
entity.
4) Which
Indian auto company launched its premium pick-up truck named ‘Imperio’ on 6
January 2016? – Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M)
Explanation: ‘Imperio’
is the name of the new premium pick-up truck range that was launched by
Mahindra & Mahindra on 6 January. This truck comes with car-like comforts
and features. The starting price for this range is Rs. 6.25 lakh (ex-showroom,
Thane). The vehicle will be manufactured at M&M’s Chakan plant near Pune,
with an initial production capacity of 20,000 vehicles.
Meanwhile, the company discontinued its small
commercial vehicle (SCV) ‘Genio’ in the domestic market.
5) What
is the name of the Indian woman shooter who broke the world record on way to
winning gold in the women’s 10 meter air rifle event at the Swedish Cup Grand
Prix on 5 January 2016? – Apurvi Chandela
Explanation: Apurvi
Chandela shot 211.2 in the event held on 5 January to surpass the feat of
Chinese Olympic gold medallist Yi Siling, who held the record with 211.
It is worth mentioning that she has already qualified
for the Rio Olympics of 2016. She had won the gold in the National
Championships held during December 2015.
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