Current Affairs Questions & Answers - July 22, 2016

ANSWER: Gurgaon

Explanation:
Haryana Government has taken the decision to establish a hi-tech cyber forensic lab equipped with high end tools in the premises of Haryana Police, Gurgaon.

• It has also taken the decision to establish a hi-tech training facility in these premises for advanced level training of police officers from state police forces.
• The government wants to monitor social media through the lab.
• MoU in this regard would soon be signed between National Technical Research Organisation, New Delhi and Haryana Police.

ANSWER: NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar

Explanation:
Indian space agency ISRO and USA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the NASA are working jointly on the development of Dual Frequency (L and S Band) Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging Satellite.

• It can be used for numerous applications including natural resources, monitoring and mapping.
• Joint mission is expected to yield results by 2021.
• Called NISAR or NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar, the satellite will also be used for estimation of agricultural biomass across the crop cycle, assessment of soil moisture, monitoring of floods and oil slicks as well as coastal erosion and variation of winds in coastal waters as well as assessment of mangroves and surface deformation studies.

ANSWER: Eublepharis Satpuraensis

Explanation:
A new species of Gecko called Eublepharis Satpuraensis has been discovered for the first time in Chattisgarh’s rich biodiverse forest at Kawardha district’s Bhoramdeo Wildlife Sanctuary.

• The population of the new species is dense and indicates that further conservation is possible in this ecosystem.
• This gecko species was earlier found in only MP.
• It was spotted during tiger census conducted on the hills of Satpuda range.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
The second largest software exporter in India, Infosys has witnessed another exit as global immigration head Vasudeva Nayak resigned on 20th July 2016.

• This is the third top level departure after the exits of Samson David and Anup Upadhyay.
• This exit comes at a time when the USD 150 billion IT industry is tracking the critical issue of immigration in the US election year.
• Infosys has also reported below par numbers, forcing investors to punish the stock.

ANSWER: FB

Explanation:
Researchers from Facebook Connectivity Lab have developed a new technology that can make light based wireless communication a reality in the years ahead.

• This new technology can pave the way for fast optical wireless networks that can deliver internet service to isolated places.
• Light based wireless communication is also known as free space optical communications.
• It offers a promising way to bring internet to areas where optical fibres and cell towers can be challenging to deploy in a cost effective manner.

ANSWER: Pakistan

Explanation:
China and Pakistan border troops have launched joint patrolling of the border and connecting PoK with Xinjiang province amidst reports that over 100 Uighurs have fled the region to join IS.

• President Xi asked Chinese Muslims to practice their religion as part of the Chinese society and direction.
• This marks the first time China-Pakistan commence joint patrolling in recent years.
• Uighurs are Muslim Turkic speaking ethnic minority that hail from Xinjiang in China.
• Work is also underway for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor connecting the countries through rail, pipelines and optical cable network and highways.
• Xinjiang will be linked to Pakistan’s Gwadar post through this.

ANSWER: Michelle Kakade

Explanation:
Pune’s Michelle Kakade has secured a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the first person to complete the Indian Golden Quadrilateral on foot.

• She is a 47 year old resident of the city and took 193 days, one hour and 9 minutes to complete the journey between 21 October 2015 and 1 May, 2016.
• She is also in the Guinness World Records for covering 5968.4 km of Golden Quadrilateral connecting 4 major metros of the country.

ANSWER: Faiz Mohammed Khan

Explanation:
The former RS member and Congress leader Faiz Mohammed Khan popularly known as FM Khan has died on 21st July 2016.

• He is survived by a wife and 3 daughters.
• He entered politics in 1960s during the anti-Hindi agitation.
• He was a member of the Congress under Indira Gandhi.
• General Secretary of State Youth Congress before becoming a member of the Legislative Council in 1974.
• He was a two time RS MP elected in 1976 and 1982.
• He is also the former IOA Vice President.

ANSWER: Transforming

Explanation:
Government has launched a website on Transforming India by the Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology and Law and Justice.

• The website transformingIndia.mygov.in will yield information in user friendly format enabling citizens to view content in the form of infographics, performance dashboard, e-books, videos, daily news corner and engage with the content by comments and sharing the content through social media.
• Website is aimed at promoting accountability in critical national initiatives.
• Website acts as a repository of information on major decisions and policies.
• Key facets of the website promote accountability in major national initiatives acts as a repository of major polices and decisions and provides central platform for transformational changes.

ANSWER: 6000

Explanation:
Geneticists were able to extract and decode the DNA of the oldest beans in the history of mankind fossil barley placed more than 6000 years ago within a cave near the Dead Sea in Israel.

• This suggests domestication of barley in the fertile crescent was a long time before the advent of Bible
• All the artifacts including stems and seeds of the plants buried in the soil at the bottom well preserved and existed 6200-5800 thousand years ago i the beginning of the copper age or in terms of biblical myths even prior to the floods.
• The gene antediluvian barley was earlier believed to be akin to the DNA of wild species of cereals.

ANSWER: Petrapole Integrated Check Post

Explanation:
Indian PM Shri Narendra Modi and PM of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Petrapole Integrated Check Post through video conferencing.

• Pentrapole- Benapole is an important land border crossing for Indian Bangladesh trade.
• More than 50 percent of the trade between the two countries passes through this border crossing
• Trade is worth more than INR 15000 crore and takes place through Petrapole ICP more than all other Indian land ports and land custom stations placed together.
• Around 15 lakh people and 150,000 tricks crossed the border crossing each year according to estimates.
• Petrapole ICP will be the second ICP on the India-Bangladesh border after the Agartala ICP in Agartala (India)- Akhaura (Bangladesh) land border.
• It will be the biggest land port in South Asia.
• Commissioning of the petrapole ICP will foster greater economic integration and connectivity between India and Bangladesh.

ANSWER: FASTag

Explanation:
National Highways Authority of India has rolled out a cashless payment system FASTag at fee plazas on national highways.

• It offers near non stop movement of vehicles through fee plazas and convenience of cashless payment of toll fee with nationwide interoperable Electronic Fee Collection Service.
• As per the joint study report 2011-2012 carried out by Transport Corp of India and IIM Kolkata estimated annual cost of delay to Indian economy was INR 27000 crore each year.
• FASTag is operational on 335 fee plazas on national highways across the nation and saves time, cash and fuel.

ANSWER: Sagarmala

Explanation:
To provide a boost to the Make in India initiative and promote port led industrialisation, Ministry of Shipping organised a workshop on Coastal Economic Zones or CEZs under the Sagarmala programme in New Delhi.

• Workshop focused on 14 coastal economic zones identified under the National Perspective Plan of the Sagarmala.
• Workshop apprised participants that CEZs will be aligned to relevant ports in the maritime states and will house Coastal Economic Units for setting up manufacturing facilities.
• The CEZs have been conceptualised as spatial economic regions extending 300-500 km of coastline and 200-300 km inland from the coast.
• CEZ will be an agglomeration of coastal districts within the State.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
RBI will start monitoring banks in 5 areas pertaining to customer rights. The areas on which the regulator will be conducting surveys and supervision at various banks are - right to privacy, right to fair treatment & transparency, fair and honest dealing, right to suitability and right to grievance redress & compensation.

• The apex bank has asked banks to have board approved plans in place by June 30.
• Charter of customer rights was also placed by the RBI in the public domain sometime back.

ANSWER: National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research Amendment Bill 2016

Explanation:
LS on 21st July passed the National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research Amendment Bill 2016 with new HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar asserting the need for quality education for all.

• The Modi Government has also voiced its commitment to ensure Sabko Shiksha or Acchi Shiksha ( Education for All and Quality Education).
• For promoting research in technical fields, a separate funding of INR 1000 crore has been made available.
• The bill, later passed by voice vote, seeks to establish the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Andhra Pradesh as an institute of national importance under the National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (NITSER) Act, 2007.

ANSWER: ABP Pandey

Explanation:
Senior IAS officer A B P Pandey was on 21st July appointed as the chief executive officer of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), mandated to issue Aadhaar numbers.

• He is a 1984 batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre.
• He is the first CEO of UIDAI formed in January 2009.
• He has been involved with UIDAI since September 2010

ANSWER: Dabur

Explanation:
Leading Ayurveda FMCG company Dabur has partnered DRDO to promote sustainable cultivation of high altitude medicinal plants in Ladakh.

• Dabur signed the pact with Defence Institute of High Altitude Research Leh under which both organisations will educate farmers and promote livelihood in the cold desert areas.
• DRDO comes under the ambit of the MoD
• It was established in 1958.

ANSWER: Both a and b

Explanation:
Telangana state has declared Murrel or Channa Striatus as the state fish and the seventh state icon for the government for different species.

• Other icons include Blue Jay (State Bird), Tanner’s Cassia (State Flower), Mango (State Fruit), Prosopis Cineraria (State Tree), Kabbadi (State Sport) and deer (State Animal).
• The government also issued guidelines to regulate aquatic fish culture like Tilapia to conserver the indigenous diversity in Telangana water bodies.