Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz Update July 30 - Aug 05

• Article 310 of the Indian constitution incorporates the common law doctrine of pleasure. It expressly provides that all persons who are members of the defenses services or the civil services of the union of the all-India services hold office during the pleasure of the governor.

• Iltutmish introduced Silver Tanka and Copper Jital , the two coins of the Delhi Sultanate. The coins prior to Iltutmish were introduced by the invaders which bear the Sanskrit characters and even Bull and Shivalinga. Iltutmish was the first to introduce a “Pure Arabic Coin” in India. The Coins were engraved with “The Mighty Sultan, Sun of the Empire and the Faith, Conquest-laden, Il-tutmish,” after he received an investiture of Sovereign Sultan of Delhi from the Caliph of Baghdad. The Silver Tanka issued by Iltutmish was weighing 175 grains. Gold Tanka of the same weight was later issued by Balban.

• Repo rate is the rate at which the central bank of a country (Reserve Bank of India in case of India) lends money to commercial banks in the event of any shortfall of funds.
• In the event of inflation, central banks increase repo rate as this acts as a disincentive for banks to borrow from the central bank. This ultimately reduces the money supply in the economy and thus helps in arresting inflation.

• The SDR basket now consists of the following five currencies: U.S. dollar 41.73%, Euro 30.93%, Renminbi (Chinese Yuan) 10.92%, Japanese Yen (8.33%), British Pound (8.09%).

• China has successfully produced natural gas from methane hydrate, also known as “flammable ice”.

• ELEVATE 100, an initiative of the Department of Information Technology and Biotechnology, Government of Karnataka aims to provide a comprehensive entrepreneurship platform for startups.
• The top 100 technology based startups chosen through a rigorous hunt across Karnataka State will tap into a whopping sum of Rs.400 Cr of Government funds.

• The Punjab government has recently launched its flagship ‘Apni Gaddi Apna Rozgar’ scheme for jobless youth by flagging off over 100 uberMOTO bikes. Under the scheme, the state government will provide commercial two wheelers and four wheelers to unemployed youth at subsidised rates. The scheme will be a game-changer for the youth of Punjab and will play a catalysing role in encouraging micro-entrepreneurship opportunities throughout the state. The target of Uber is to create 10,000 entrepreneurial opportunities in Punjab in one year and a total of 45,000 in next five years.

• Jorwe is a village and an archaeological site located on the banks of the Godavari River in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. This site was first was excavated in 1950-51 under the direction of Hasmukh Dhirajlal Sankalia and Shantaram Bhalchandra Deo.

• Acharanga is the first of the twelve Angas, part of the agamas (religious texts) which were compiled based on the teachings of Mahavira.

The Dredging Corporation of India Limited (DCI) is a Miniratna Indian public sector unit engaged in the business of dredging. DCI is headquartered at Visakhapatnam and it reports to the Ministry of Shipping. Recently, it is in news because a proposal for disinvestment of DCI is under consideration of the Government of India (GoI). The proposal is aimed at upgrading technology, improving capability, infusing capital to buy necessary dredgers and equipments and instilling experienced professional management to optimize the operations of DCI. This information was given by the Minister of State for Shipping and Road Transport and Highways Pon. Radhakrishnan in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on July 27, 2017.

• Dasht-e Margo is a desert region in the southern provinces of Helmand and Nimruz in Afghanistan. It is the world’s 20th largest desert, and consists mainly of sand masses and rocky-clayish plains with solonchaks, takirs, and rarely oases.

• Market Stabilization scheme (MSS) is a monetary policy intervention by the RBI to withdraw excess liquidity (or money supply) by selling government securities in the economy. The MSS was introduced in April 2004. Main thing about MSS is that it is used to withdraw excess liquidity or money from the system by selling government bonds.

• The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is the apex body constituted in the Ministry of Environment and Forests under ‘Rules for Manufacture, Use, Import, Export and Storage of Hazardous Microorganisms/Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells 1989’, under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

• The Punjab government has recently launched its flagship ‘Apni Gaddi Apna Rozgar’ scheme for jobless youth by flagging off over 100 uberMOTO bikes. Under the scheme, the state government will provide commercial two wheelers and four wheelers to unemployed youth at subsidised rates. The scheme will be a game-changer for the youth of Punjab and will play a catalysing role in encouraging micro-entrepreneurship opportunities throughout the state. The target of Uber is to create 10,000 entrepreneurial opportunities in Punjab in one year and a total of 45,000 in next five years.

The industries covered in the Index of Eight Core are namely Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Refinery Products, Fertilizers, Steel, Cement and Electricity.

• The Emergency Provisions of the Indian Constitution have been borrowed from Germany. The part 18 of Indian constitution deals with the emergency provisions. Under the emergency provisions, if the President is satisfied that a grave emergency exists whereby the security of India or of any part of the territory thereof is threatened, whether by war or external aggression or armed rebellion, he may, by Proclamation, make a declaration to that effect in respect of the whole of India or of such part of the territory thereof as may be specified in the Proclamation.

• Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN) is a space probe developed & designed by NASA to study the atmosphere of Mars. It was launched on November 18, 2013, and entered orbit around Mars on around Mars on September 21, 2014.

• WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, are having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN, SOCIALIST, SECULAR, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:
• JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
• LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
• EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all
• FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;
• IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this 26th day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.

• Officially known as methane clathrates or hydrates, they are formed at very low temperatures and under high pressure. They can be found in sediments under the ocean floor as well as underneath permafrost on land. Despite the low temperature, these hydrates are flammable.
• By lowering the pressure or raising the temperature, the hydrates break down into water and methane – a lot of methane.

Mustard is one of India’s most important winter crops, which is sown between mid-October and late November.

• The eight core industries comprise 40.27% of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
• The current base year is 2011-2012

• India’s first bullet train project “Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor” will be launched during the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in September 12-14, 2017. Abe and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will jointly inaugurate the bullet train project with the laying of foundation stone and a ground breaking ceremony. This is expected to take place in Ahmedabad or Gandhinagar (Gujarat). This is Rs 1 lakh crore project which involves construction of a 505-km line using Japanese ‘Shinkansen’ technology. For this, Japan will provide a soft loan worth $12 billion, at a cost of 0.1%, for a 50-year period including a 15-year moratorium. The Japanese government will be bearing 80% of the total project cost and the increase in cost estimate has to be borne by both India and Japan.

The Dredging Corporation of India Limited (DCI) is a Miniratna Indian public sector unit engaged in the business of dredging. DCI is headquartered at Visakhapatnam and it reports to the Ministry of Shipping. Recently, it is in news because a proposal for disinvestment of DCI is under consideration of the Government of India (GoI). The proposal is aimed at upgrading technology, improving capability, infusing capital to buy necessary dredgers and equipments and instilling experienced professional management to optimize the operations of DCI. This information was given by the Minister of State for Shipping and Road Transport and Highways Pon. Radhakrishnan in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on July 27, 2017.

• The Punjab government has launched its flagship health scheme “Care Companion Programme (CCP)” to educate family members of patient about taking better care of patients. The CCP scheme is targeted to improve patients outcome by implementing better family engagement. For this, the state department of health and family welfare has signed a MOU with Noora Health India Trust for implementation of the CCP. The purpose of the programme is to reduce the number of baby deaths after discharge from hospitals due to infections or any other reason. The innovative programme includes teaching the family of patient’s high-impact medical skills to take care of the patients in the hospital and at home.

NAVIC is an autonomous regional satellite navigation system that provides accurate real-time positioning and timing services.

• NavIC is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in India as well as the region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary, which is its primary service area.
• NAVIC will provide two levels of service, the ‘standard positioning service’ will be open for civilian use, and a ‘restricted service’ (an encrypted one) for authorized users (including military).

Rajgir, the ancient capital of the Magadhan empire in Bihar is held sacred by both Buddhists and Jains for its association with the Buddha and Mahavir. Department of Tourism, Bihar holds a colourful festival of dance and music, Rajgir Mahotsav or Dance Festival every year in Rajgir.

Shaphee Lanphee is a traditional textile fabric woven and embroidered by Meitei women of Manipur. The fabric was, in the past, presented as a gift of honour (Mana Phee) to the soldiers for their bravery in a successful war, and to the praise-worthy chiefs of the Nagas of Manipur by the king of Manipur.

The Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar in the west and to the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, by the Dardanelles and the Bosporus respectively, in the east.

NHB Residex from the National Housing Bank

• It is a set of benchmarks that aims to track housing price indicators across Indian cities.
• It is designed by a technical advisory committee comprising Government representatives, lenders and property market player.

Muntra, country’s first unmanned tank, rolls out from the Chennai lab.

Raut Nacha is a ceremonial dance performed mainly by the tribal community of Chhattisgarh. It is performed during the “dev udhni ekadashi”, after the Diwali festival. It is mainly performed by Yaduvanshis. The dance form carries with itself sacred mythological and religious traditions.

Varahamihira was one of the only renowned Indian Astronomer, Mathematician and Astrologer. Varahamihira was born in 499 A.D. into a family of Brahmins settled at Kapittha, a village near Ujjain. He wrote the book Pancha Siddhantika.

Project Dantak was raised in May 1961 in Eastern Bhutan. A humble beginning was made in bamboo huts and thatched roofs. Since then Project Dantak has not looked back. It has contributed to economic growth of Bhutan by not only developing roads and tele-communication net works but also other prestigious works throughout Bhutan. Over the years, Project Dantak has constructed 1500 Km of roads, airfields, a number of helipads, tele-communication network in Bhutan, Indo-Bhutan Microwave link, Bhutan Broadcasting Station, the prestigious India House Complex, Chukha Hydel Housing Complex, Hydel Sub-stations, river training works, Schools and Colleges.

• Aryabhata is the first Indian spacecraft that was built in the country.
• ‘Bhashya’, usually refers to commentary on a text. For instance, Patanjali’s Mahabhashya is a commentary on Panini’s Ashtadhyayi as well as on Katyayana’s Varttika.
• Aryabhatibhashya, according to Wikipedia, is a commentary by Bhaskara I, a mathematician belonging to the 7th Century A.D., on Aryabhatta’s work.
• Aryabhatta’s work includes the Aryabhatiyam and the Aryasiddhanta.
• Brihatsamhita is Varahamihira’s work.