ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

Union Government notifies new import policy for marble & travertine blocks Union Government on 18 September 2016 notified the new import policy for marble and travertine blocks and marble and granite slabs. The policy will come into effect from 1 October 2016. The new policy ends the quantitative restriction on the import of marble and travertine blocks as well as the cumbersome and restrictive import licensing system.  The Minimum Import Price (MIP) for marble blocks has been reduced to 200 US dollar per metric ton. The basic customs duty on import of marble and travertine blocks has been increased from 10 percent to 40 percent to address the interest of domestic producers. Similarly, the MIP on the import of marble slabs is being reduced to 40 US dollar per square metre and the basic customs duty on the import of marble slabs is doubled to 20 percent. The MIP on the import of granite slabs has been reduced to 50 US Dollars per square metre and the basic customs duty on import of granite slabs has been doubled to 20 percent. The new policy balances the interests of domestic consumers, producers and processors, and ends the cumbersome licensing system for import of Marble & Travertine blocks.

ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

India, Samoa tax information exchange agreement approved The Union Cabinet on 21 September 2016 gave its approval for signing and ratification of agreement between India and Samoa for the exchange of information with respect to Taxes. This agreement will stimulate the flow of exchange of information between the two nations for tax purposes which will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance. As of now, there are no financial implications between the two nations. Only in the event of extraordinary costs exceeding 500 US dollars, the same will be borne by India. India has similar provisions in other such tax information exchange agreement.  Salient features of the Agreement • It enables the competent authorities of the two nations to provide assistance through exchange of information that is relevant to the administration and enforcement of the domestic laws of the two countries concerning taxes covered by this Agreement. • The information received under the Agreement shall be treated as confidential and may be disclosed only to persons or authorities (including courts or administrative bodies) concerned with assessment, collection, enforcement, prosecution or determination of appeals in relation to taxes covered under the Agreement. Information may be disclosed to any other person or entity or authority or jurisdiction with the prior written consent of the information sending country. • The Agreement also provides for Mutual Agreement Procedure for resolving any difference or for agreeing on procedures under the Agreement. • The Agreement shall enter into force on the date of notification of completion of the procedures required by the respective laws of the two countries for entry into force of the Agreement. Negotiations for entering into an Agreement for the exchange of information with respect to Taxes were finalized between India and Samoa in June 2016 and both countries have agreed on the text of the Agreement. Section 90 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 allows the Union Government to enter into an agreement with a foreign country or specified territory for exchange of information for the prevention of evasion or avoidance of income-tax chargeable under the Income-tax Act, 1961.

ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

Union Cabinet approves Winding up of Hindustan Diamond Company Private Limited The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its approval for initiating the process of winding up of Hindustan Diamond Company Private Limited (HDCPL). HDCPL is 50:50 joint venture of the Union Government and De Beers Centenary Mauritius Limited (DBCML). The winding up of HDCPL is not likely to affect supply of rough diamonds to Indian diamantaires because the Indian diamond industry has grown in all these years. At present, India is a house of top diamond producers.  Besides, the Special Notified Zone (SNZ) at Bharat Diamond Bourse, Mumbai established in 2015 also enables the smaller Indian players to have a direct access to the supply of rough diamond. Hindustan Diamond Company Private Limited The HDCPL was incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956 in 1978. The company was established with an objective to supply rough diamonds to diamond processing industry in India, particularly to small and medium diamond jewellery exporters. In the past, the Indian diamond exporters didn’t had a direct access to rough diamonds from Diamond Trading Company (DTC), London. DTC is the marketing arm of De Beers who held a very large chunk of world’s rough diamonds market.

ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

CCEA approves 5176 crore rupees Capital Grant for GAIL pipeline project The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 21 September 2016 approved the partial capital grant of 5176 crore rupees to GAIL (India) Limited for development of 2539 km long Jagdishpur-Haidia and Bokaro-Dhamra Gas Pipeline (JHBDPL) project.  This grant is 40 percent of the total estimated capital cost of 12940 crore rupees. Highlights of the JHBDPL project • JHBDPL project will connect Eastern part of the country with National Gas Grid. • It will ensure the availability of clean and eco-friendly fuel i.e. Natural Gas to the industrial, commercial and transport sectors in the States of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal. • This Capital Grant will encourage the supply of eco-friendly fuel at affordable tariffs to industries and will encourage industrial development in these states. Other Development The CCEA also approved the simultaneous development of City Gas Distribution (CGD) networks in cities namely Varanasi, Patna, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Cuttack etc. en-route of JHBDPL project. These distribution networks will be developed by GAIL in collaboration with the concerned State Governments. It will bring clean cooking fuel at the door step of Domestic households as well as provide clean fuel to transport sector in the eastern region.

Current affairs quiz with answers

1.    Which country recently launched world's biggest radio telescope in search for extraterrestrial life? a)    India b)    China c)    The Netherlands d)    The United Kingdom 2.    Name the Indian player who recently won India's first medal at Asian Beach Games. a)    Pincky Balhara b)    Shivam Bhowmick c)    Rajat Malhotra d)    None of the above 3.    Name the first Russian-Pakistani joint military exercise, which recently commenced in Pakistan. a)    Babar-2016 b)    Cherat-2016 c)    Moskow Friendship-2016 d)    Druzhba-2016 4.    Arnold Palmer, nicknamed as ‘The King’ recently passed away. He was related to which of the following fields? a)    Cricket b)    Tennis c)    Golf d)    Basketball 5.    Who won the 2016 St Petersburg Open Men’s Singles title? a)    Stan Wawrinka b)    Alexander Zverev c)    Roger Federer d)    Andy Murray 6.    Who won the 2016 St Petersburg Open Men’s Doubles title? a)    Dominic Inglot and Henri Kontinen b)    Leander Paes and Andre Begemann c)    Leander Paes and Henri Kontinen d)    Treat Huey and Henri Kontinen 7.    Name the satellite of students of IIT, Bombay that was launched in ISRO’s launch in which it sent eight satellites to space under one mission? a)    Pratham b)    PISAT c)    SCATSAT-1 d)    Junoon 8.    Name the country whose voters have given a strong approval to a law on new surveillance powers for the intelligence agencies. a)    Japan b)    Germany c)    Philippines d)    Switzerland 9.    Who of the following was appointed as the Additional Secretary in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council? a)    CK Asnani b)    Arun Goyal c)    Monika Kapil Mohta d)    Mukund Choudhari 10.    Who of the following won the women’s doubles title at the Toray Pan Pacific Open trophy? a)    Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis b)    Chen Liang and Zhaoxuan Yang c)    Zhaoxuan Yang and Barbora Strycova d)    Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova 11.    Name the person who won the Under-19 Asian Junior Individual squash championship title. a)    Tushar Shahani b)    Yash Fadte c)    Velavan Senthilkumar d)    Mohammad Al-Sarraj 12.    Union Health Ministry has decided to launch the Mission Parivar Vikas in what number of High Focus districts in seven states? a)    96 b)    112 c)    133 d)    145 13.    Name the Indian cricketer who became the fastest Indian and second overall to take 200 wickets, reaching the milestone in his 37th Test. a)    Ravichandran Ashwin b)    Ravindra Jadeja c)    Ishant Sharma d)    Bhuvneshwar Kumar 14.    Name the film that has been selected as India's entry to the 89th Academy Awards (Oscars) to be held in 2017 in the Foreign Language Film category. a)    Neerja b)    Udta Punjab c)    Sairat d)    Visaranai 15.    Name India’s largest civilian research and development agency that celebrated its platinum jubilee on 26 September 2016. a)    Council of Scientific and Industrial Research b)    Defence Research & Development Organisation c)    Directorate General of Civil Aviation d)    Indian Patent Office Answer. 1. (b) China 2. (a) Pincky Balhara 3. (d) Druzhba-2016 4. (c) Golf 5. (b) Alexander Zverev 6. (a) Dominic Inglot and Henri Kontinen 7. (a) Pratham 8. (d) Switzerland 9. (b) Arun Goyal 10. (d) Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova 11. (c) Velavan Senthilkumar 12. (d) 145 13. (a) Ravichandran Ashwin 14. (d) Visaranai 15. (a) Council of Scientific and Industrial Research

Google launched app allo

Google launches instant messaging mobile app Allo Google on 21 September 2016 launched its latest mobile chat application, Allo, along with Google Assistant that can be used in online conversations with friends. The messaging app, which is available for Android and the iPhone, has similar features to most other messaging applications. In Allo, messages are not encrypted end-to-end by default. However, the messages can be switched to an incognito mode to do so and set how long they exist before they are deleted.  Key highlights of Google Allo • Allo's ‘Smart reply’ function uses Google's machine learning technology to suggest a reply to the last message, which can be selected from a few options. • The feature also analyses images sent to the user in order to suggest responses. • Similar to the smart reply feature seen in Google's Inbox app, it learns from the user's behaviour to adapt its suggestions over time. • It supports Google Assistant, a conversational virtual assistant. • A feature ‘Whisper Shout’ allows the user to increase or decrease the size of a message to represent volume. • Allo also lets users draw on photos before sending them. • Incognito mode is an optional mode that includes expiring chats, private notifications, and end-to-end encryption. • For encryption, the app uses the Signal Protocol. Now get latest Current Affairs on mobile, Download # 1  Current Affairs App   Click below to see the complete story http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/Google-launches-instant-messaging-mobile-app-Allo-1474957698-1 Sent via Jagran Josh

Union Minister Radha Mohan Singh presented Antyodaya Krishi Puruskars

Union Minister Radha Mohan Singh presented Antyodaya Krishi Puruskars Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on 25 September 2016 gave away Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Antyodaya Krishi Puruskars to 12 farmers for their contribution in the agriculture sector. They were felicitated during a function at the birth place of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay in Mathura.  Winners of the award National Award for the year 2016: Krishna Yadav, an enterprising lady farmer from, Dinpur, Najafgarh, New Delhi for her outstanding achievements in the processing and value addition of food especially fruits and vegetables. Zonal awardees includes Award from Zone I: Jinder Singh, a small farmer from Roopnagar, Punjab won the award for starting a nursery of vegetable crops under the brand name ‘Chamkaur Sahib Paniri Farm’. Zone I comprises of the states of Punjab, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. Award from Zone II: Pooja Sharma, a small Haryana farmer won the award for her innovative ways of farming. Zone II comprises of the states of Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi Award from Zone III: Moti, a small farmer from Saidasaunkh village in Mathura won the award for his outstanding skills in innovative ways of farming which includes production of seeds of new varieties and planting material and distributing it among the fellow farmers at reasonable rates. Zone III covers entire Uttar Pradesh. Award from Zone IV: Deepak Kumar Singh from Bishanpur Banka, Bihar won the award for cultivation and sale of mushroom which has enabled him to earn a sizeable income from this activity. Zone IV comprises of the states of Bihar and Jharkhand. Award from Zone V: Ashok Kumar Sarkar, Nimbudera, a small farmer from, Andaman and Nicobar Island was awarded for his outstanding entrepreneurial skill in agriculture production. Zone V comprises of the states of West Bengal, Orissa and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Award from Zone VI: Anuradha Chhetri of Pakyong, East Sikkim was awarded for diversification of agricultural activities with orchids can be a boon for the farmers having small landholding in the hilly regions of the country. Zone VI comprises of the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. Award from Zone VII: Biswajit Majumder from Sabroom, Tripura has been awarded for establishment of a farmer’s club in his village. Zone VII comprises of the eastern states of Tripura, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Meghalaya. Award from Zone VIII: Hasam Bhai Jumabhai Musangara, an enterprising fish farmer from Gir, Somnath, Gujarat was awarded for his outstanding achievements in Agriculture especially fisheries. Zone VIII comprises of the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Daman & Diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli. Award from Zone IX: Balaram Patidar a progressive and innovative farmer from Sarangi, in Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh was awarded for cultivating horticultural and cash crops using scientific technologies. Zone IX comprises of the states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Award from Zone X: Alluri Suryanarayana Murthy, a small farmer from East Godavari, Andhra Pradesh was awarded for adopting an integrated farming system which has enabled the farmers in his surrounding areas to reap huge benefits. Zone X comprises of the states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Award from Zone XI: A traditional fisherman A Baburaj from Kozhikode, Kerala won the award for successfully adopting sustainable brackish water aquaculture practices as a livelihood option. Zone XI comprises of the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Lakshadweep. Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Antyodaya Krishi Puruskar As part of the Centenary Celebrations of Deendayal Upadhaya, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research has instituted Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Antyodaya Krishi Puruskar at national and zonal levels in 2016. The awards include one award at national level comprising one lakh rupees and 11 zonal awards comprising of 50 thousand rupees each along with a citation and certificate.  Purpose of setting the award This award was instituted for recognizing the contributions of marginal, small and landless farmers for developing integrated and sustainable models of agricultural farming.

ChinA unveils five hundred meter Apesphericalrthre telescope

China unveils Five-hundred-meter ApeSphericalrture Telescope in search for extraterrestrial life China on 25 September 2016 officially launched the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) in a mountainous region of Guizhou province. The telescope was launched to hunt for extraterrestrial life and explore space.  Key highlights of Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope • The FAST is a radio telescope located in the Dawodang depression, a natural basin in Pingtang County, Guizhou Province, southwest China. • It consists of a fixed 500 m dish constructed in a natural depression in the landscape. • It is the world's largest filled aperture (single dish) radio telescope. • It is the second largest radio telescope after the Russian RATAN-600. • The final cost of the project is 180 million US dollars. • Construction on the FAST project began in 2011 and was completed in July 2016. • The chief scientist of the project is Nan Rendong. • It has a fixed primary reflector located in a natural hollow in the landscape, focusing radio waves on a receiver suspended 140 m above it. • The reflector is made of perforated aluminium panels supported by a mesh of steel cables hanging from the rim. • Its surface is made of 4450 triangular panels, 11 m on a side, in the form of a geodesic dome. • It is capable of pointing anywhere within ±40° from the zenith.

IIT-M develops a lab-on-a-chip diagnostic device

 IIT-M develops a lab-on-a-chip diagnostic device

A team led by Prof. Ashis Kumar Sen, the corresponding author of the paper from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras, used a 2-cm-long microchannel device that employs capillary force to draw blood into the device to separate plasma from whole blood and test glucose level in diabetic patients.

The first part of the microchannel device has hydrophilic walls (top and two side walls) that help the blood sample to be drawn in through capillary force. But one centimetre away, all the four walls of the microchannel are hydrophobic. Like a drop of water on a Teflon surface, the blood comes together and forms a large contact angle (more than 90 degrees) when it enters the hydrophobic region. The forward movement of the blood is suddenly impeded and the blood cells tend to accumulate in the hydrophobic region of the microchannel.

Unlike blood cells, the plasma with its low viscosity continues to move forward due to the momentum gained while passing through the hydrophilic region. “The blood cells slow down and then stop moving at the hydrophobic region and form a self built-in filter, while the plasma continues to move past the cells,” says Prof. Sen. “By creating a differential wetting behaviour in the microchannel we were able to separate the plasma from the blood cells.” Separating the plasma from blood cells is essential as it improves sensitivity and reliability. Most blood analyses are based on optical detection techniques, and the blood cells present tend to interfere with the optical path resulting in low sensitivity.

The device does not require any external or internal power as it relies on capillary force to draw blood and the separation of plasma from blood cells is achieved through differential wetting behaviour of the microchannel walls.

“Only 5 microlitre of blood is required and in 15 minutes we get 450 nanolitre of plasma which further increases with time. With suitable design modifications we have also achieved higher plasma volume up to 2 microlitre in 15 min, which is adequate for detection of most analytes,” says M. Sneha Maria, the first author of the paper from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras. It takes 15-20 minutes to test the samples and get the results.

The detection platform for different diseases and conditions can be integrated within the device inside the hydrophobic region. “This is a proof-of-concept study so we used commercially available glucose test strips to detect glucose level in the blood samples,” says Maria. The sensitivity of the disposable device is comparable to conventional blood tests, says Prof. Sen.

Unlike the microchannel device used by the IIT team, commercial glucometers rely on whole blood for testing. Using whole blood can cause measurement errors due to various hematocrit levels (the ratio of the volume of red cells to the volume of whole blood). When the hematocrit levels are high the viscosity of blood is more and this leads to low glucose concentration and underestimation. Overestimation results when the hematocrit levels are low. “There is a likelihood of more than 10 per cent error in glucose detection when whole blood is used,” says Maria.

The team is now testing the device for diagnosis of dengue. Currently, rapid diagnostic test kits (RDTs) either use whole blood which affects the sensitivity or centrifuged plasma for dengue detection. This is where the device can score over others.

Prof. Sen is hopeful that the device can be used for parallel detection of analytes for several diseases using just one blood sample. “We intend to separate the plasma to multiple detection sites for studying several diseases in one go,” he says.

Ten things to know about the PSLV's longest-ever flight

Here are the details of the launch and payloads:

 

— The PSLV-C35 will be launched from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota at 9.12 a.m. tomorrow. The total weight of all the eight satellites is about 675 kg.

— The SCATSAT-1 will be released first into a 730 km Polar Sunsynchronous Orbit (SSO) after about 17 minutes and the rest will be injected into a lower orbit of 689 km after around two hours. The flight is PSLV’s longest ever.

— There will be two re-ignitions of the launch vehicle for this purpose. The launch team engineers will shut down and restart the fourth and last stage of the vehicle twice during the flight.

— Besides SCATSAT-1, the others are PRATHAM and PISAT, two academic satellites from India; ALSAT-1B, ALSAT-2B and ALSAT-1N (all from Algeria); and Pathfinder-1 and NLS-19, from the USA and Canada, respectively.

— This will be the 15th flight of PSLV in ‘XL’ configuration with the use of solid strap-on motors.

— The mission objectives of SCATSAT-1 are to help provide weather forecasting services, cyclone detection and tracking. It has a design life of 15 years.

— The five-kg student satellite PISAT carries an imaging camera as payload to capture imagery of 185 km x 135 km area with about 80m/pixel resolution. The satellite is developed by students of PES University, Bengaluru.

— The other student satellite, PRATHAM, is developed by IIT Bombay.

— The PSLV has so far launched 39 remote-sensing satellites of ISRO, including the Chandrayaan-1 of 2008 and the Mars mission of 2013-14.

— It has also orbited 74 foreign commercial and university satellites in a global trend where the demand for its category of launch services is increasing.

Medical Council of India

Medical Council of India

MCI: reforming the unreformed

In news:  A recent report by the NITI Aayog, authored by a committee chaired by its vice-chairperson, Arvind Panagariya, has proposed a sweeping overhaul of medical education in India. The committee’s remit was to suggest an overhaul of the Indian Medical Council Act, which dates back to 1956.

• The Medical Council of India(MCI) is a statutory body for establishing uniform and high standards of medical education in India. The Council grants recognition of medical qualifications, gives accreditation to medical schools, grants registration to medical practitioners, and monitors medical practice in India.
• It is under the aegis of Indian Medical Council Act 1956, with subsequent amendments and ordinances, that the Medical Council of India (MCI) governs medical education in India.

Reforms in the sector

Looking for a big bang reform in an important sector that remains unreformed, there is important reforms proposed under the new Bill that the Panagariya committee has drafted and appended to its report.

• The most arresting and important governance-related element of the proposed reform is the scrapping of the MCI and its replacement by a new body, the National Medical Commission (NMC).

1. Members of the MCI are elected. While the current system of election to the MCI was based on noble intentions, the effect has been to keep serious medical educationists out of the body.
2. The NMC, on the other hand, would have its members selected by a high-powered committee of unimpeachable integrity, to be chaired by the cabinet secretary.

• The evaluation of medical colleges, which at present is conducted based on inputs, will switch over to an output-based evaluation.

1. This will eliminate the possibility of corruption, which has flourished under an opaque input-based system in which the MCI could threaten closure of a medical college
2. The proposed new legislation will mandate both entrance and exit exams for medical professionals. Anyone practicing medicine in India will have to pass the exit exam. This would bring India in line with the norms of medical certification in other major countries.
3. With a mandatory exit exam before anyone is allowed to practice medicine, medical colleges will have to perform. A college which charges exorbitant fees and whose students fail the exit exam will soon be out of business.

• The regulation of fees for medical education:

1. The Panagariya committee’s proposal, private medical colleges will be free to set their own fees in a transparent manner. Further, all colleges will need to announce and post upfront their structure of fees.
2. For-profit medical colleges will be permitted.

• System of Equity with Efficiency:

To take note of the concerns of states, and to work towards a system characterized by equity, not just efficiency, states will be allowed to regulate the fees that up to 40% of students are charged, with colleges free to charge the tuition fees of their choice for the remaining 60%.This amounts to what economists would call a cross-subsidy from the latter to the former group of students.

Criticism of the report

• The Panagariya committee’s proposal for for-profit colleges will increase various capitation and other hidden fees charged by the colleges that will considerably jack up a student’s costs over and above the official, regulated tuition fees.
• This can lead to a completely non-transparent system which has served no one well.

Way ahead

• Our current status is that India’s system of medical education features ostensibly non-profit medical colleges, while profiteering by unscrupulous colleges which are subject to opaque and capricious regulation has continued unabated.
• The Panagariya committee has courageously established the principle that, in medical education as in other sectors, profit is not a dirty word.
• It is far better for society to have well regulated for-profit medical colleges with transparent and upfront fees and with a scrupulous system of entrance and exit exams that will keep them honest, than our current system in which no one is genuinely accountable, standards are poor, and it is both medical professionals—and ultimately patients—who suffer.

Connecting the dots:

• “For achieving the desired objectives, it is necessary to ensure that the regulatory institution remain independent and autonomous”. Discuss in the light of experiences in recent past.
• “India’s system of medical education features ostensibly non-profit medical colleges, yet there are unregulated, profiteering and opaque colleges”. Critically analyze the recent reforms suggested by Arvind Panagariya committee

Plot sell at Allahabad

https://www.olx.in/item/total-area-of-land22000sqyd-total-plotted-ID17wPTP.html

ISRO launched 8 satellites in two different Orbits

ISRO launched 8 satellites in two different Orbits Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 26 September 2016 successfully launched eight satellites in two different orbits in a single mission. These satellites were launched with the PSLV C35 from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikotta.  The satellites that was carried into space include the primary payload SCATSAT-1 of India, weighing 371 kg, and seven other customer payloads (five foreign and two domestic) together weighing 304 kg during lift off. The weather satellite SCATSAT-1 will be hurled into a polar sun synchronous orbit of 730 kilometer height. The other seven satellites that will be injected into a different orbit as compared to the principal payload are  • Three smaller payloads from Algeria: Alsat-1B 103 kg, Alsat-2B 110 kg and Alsat Nano 7 kg. They are meant for earth observation, remote sensing and technology demonstration. • One from US: Pathfinder-1 of 44 kg. It is a high resolution imaging microsatellite and is owned by BlackSky. • One from Canada: NLS-19 of 8 kg developed at University of Toronto, Canada. It is a nano-satellite to experiment reduction of space debris. • The other two satellites are from India and they are a) Pratham: A student-satellite of the IIT, Bombay. It would estimate the total electron count with a resolution of 1km x 1km location grid. b) PISAT (पैसेट): It is developed by a consortium-led by the PES University in Bengaluru. It would explore remote sensing applications. The two Universities/Academic Institute Satellites and the five foreign satellites were placed into a 670 km polar orbit. SCATSAT-1 of India would serve as a continuity mission for the highly acclaimed Oceansat-2 that has completed its operational life. Its data to accurately predict the landfall of the Cyclone Phailin in Odisha coast recently helped avoid major loss of lives as precautionary measures could be taken in advance. As per reports, this will be made possible by shutting down and restarting the fourth and last stage of the vehicle twice during the flight. The ISRO has gained valuable expertise on restarting the engine of the polar synchronous satellite launch vehicle PSLV in space during June 2016 and December 2015. Through them, the scientists of the space agency gained the expertise to use a single launch mission to inject multiple satellites in different orbits altogether. So far, the PSLV has launched 39 remote-sensing satellites of ISRO including the Chandrayaan-1 of 2008 and the Mars mission of 2013-14. Apart from this, it has also launched 74 foreign commercial and university satellites.   Now get latest Current Affairs on mobile, Download # 1  Current Affairs App Click below to see the complete story http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/ISRO-launched-8-satellites-in-two-different-Orbits-1474861389-1 Sent via Jagran Josh

Current Affairs Quiz: 24 September 2016

1.    Name the long range air-to-air missile that was successfully test fired by Indian Air Force from Mirage-2000 Upgrade combat aircraft. a)    Novator K-100 b)    Barack-8 c)    MICA d)    Astra 2.    Name the state/union territory that increased the retirement age of doctors working in its hospitals to 65 years. a)    Pondicherry b)    Delhi c)    West Bengal d)    Punjab 3.    Name the Sangeet Natak Akademi winning Hindi and Urdu writer and television personality who died in September 2016. a)    Reoti Saran Sharma b)    Nalinidhar Bhattacharyya c)    Gobind Tez d)    TA Rasaq 4.    Name the country with which India started a Joint Military Exercise ‘INDRA-2016’? a)    Nepal b)    Russia c)    Sri Lanka d)    China 5.    Staffan de Mistura, the UN Special Envoy to a country called the countries crisis as the worst humanitarian tragedy since the Second World War. Name the country. a)    Iraq b)    North Korea c)    Syria d)    Ukraine 6.    Name the venue from where Asia’s oldest and world’s 3rd toughest mountain biking (MTB) race kicked off. a)    Shimla b)    Nainital c)    Mussoorie d)    Manali 7.    By what percent, the Union Government cut import duty on wheat and potato to boost supplies and check prices of the commodities during the upcoming festival season? a)    5 percent b)    10 percent c)    15 percent d)    20 percent 8.    Name the state that adopted the resolution to use Cauvery water only for drinking needs. a)    Tamil Nadu b)    Pondicherry c)    Kerala d)    Karnataka 9.    Name the person for whose birth centenary commemoration the Union Government approved the constitution of two committees. a)    Bal Gangadhar Tilak b)    MS Golwalkar c)    Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay d)    Vinayak Damodar Savarkar 10.    Name the state that quashed all notifications regarding 10 percent quota for EBC Economically Backward Classes. a)    Haryana b)    Gujarat c)    Goa d)    Maharashtra 11.    Name the Pakistani cricketer who became the first Pakistani to receive Test mace from ICC. a)    Mohammad Hafeez b)    Shahid Afridi c)    Misbah-ul-Haq d)    Younis Khan 12.    Who of the following was appointed as the Indian ambassador to the United States of America? a)    Pavan Kapoor b)    Navtej Sarna c)    Pankaj Saran d)    Ronen Sen 13.    Who of the following topped in the 2016 Forbes list of 100 Richest Indians? a)    Azim Premji b)    Acharya Balkrishna c)    Anil Ambani d)    Mukesh Ambani 14.    In what number of high focus districts the Union Government will soon launch Mission Parivar Vikas for improved family planning services? a)    120 b)    136 c)    145 d)    162 15.    Who of the following was appointed as the Chief Justice of Kerala High Court? a)    Girish Chandra Gupta b)    Mohan M. Shantanagoudar c)    Chittatosh Mookerjee d)    Ashok Bhushan Answer. 1. (c) MICA 2. (b) Delhi 3. (a) Reoti Saran Sharma 4. (b) Russia 5. (c) Syria 6. (a) Shimla 7. (b) 10 percent 8. (d) Karnataka 9. (c) Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay 10. (b) Gujarat 11. (c) Misbah-ul-Haq 12. (b) Navtej Sarna 13. (d) Mukesh Ambani 14. (c) 145 15. (b) Mohan M. Shantanagoudar

Current Affairs One Liners of the Week:

Current Affairs One Liners of the Week: 19 September to 24 September 2016 The recap of the week covers important current affairs of the week like India-Russia Joint Military Exercise ‘INDRA-2016’, Rafale fighter jet deal between India and France and 2016 Right Livelihood Award among others. •    Indian Air Force successfully fired the recently acquired long range air-to-air MICA missile on a manoeuvring target from - Mirage-2000 Upgrade combat aircraft •    The renowned Hindi and Urdu writer, playwright and television personality, who died in New Delhi is - Reoti Saran Sharma •    Delhi government on 23 September 2016 increased the retirement age of doctors working in its hospitals from 62 to - 65 •    The eighth edition of India-Russia Joint Military Exercise ‘INDRA-2016’ begun in - Ussiriysk District in Vladivostok, Russia •    The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura called the Syrian crisis the worst humanitarian tragedy since - the Second World War •    Test captain of the Pakistan national cricket team who became the first Pakistani to receive the prestigious ICC Test Championship mace after topping in the ICC Test Team Rankings - Misbah-ul-Haq •    He was appointed as India’s Ambassador to the US - Navtej Sarna •    He was appointed as the Chief Justice of Kerala High Court – Justice Mohan M. Shantanagoudar •    India and France inked the 7.8-billion Euro deal for - 36 Rafale fighter jets •    State that will now have its own bravery awards and these awards will be given out on Independence Day and Republic Day every year is - Delhi •    Afghanistan signed a peace agreement with one of the country's largest militant groups Hezb-e-Islami led by - Gulbuddin Hekmatyar •    Two Indian forest officials, who were selected for the 2016 Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Awards are - Sanjay Dutta and Ritesh Sarothiya •    Hindustani classical singer who will be honoured with the annual 'LalitArpan Samman' this year is - Shubha Mudgal •    The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) signed a contract with M/s DST, Germany to design vessels, especially suited to navigate the 1620 km stretch of - National Waterway-1 (NW-1) •    Author of the book "Citizen and Society" that was launched by President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is - Vice President Mohd Hamid Ansari •    China's city that is set to host India Week celebrations with a business and investment meeting to be attended by CEOs of top Indian firms is - Yangzhou •    Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed the 10 percent reservation given to economically weaker sections in - Haryana •    Winners of the 2016 Right Livelihood Award widely referred as the Alternative Nobel Prize are - Syria Civil Defence (The White Helmets), Egypt’s Mozn Hassan and Nazra for Feminist Studies, Russia’s Svetlana Gannushkina and Turkish daily Cumhuriyet •    The state where about 52000 government primary and upper primary schools functioning under the School and Mass Education Department, have no teacher for each class is – Odisha •    The country where the Muslim Brotherhood has made a return to parliament after winning 16 seats in the 130-member house is - Jordan •    Government's think-tank Niti Aayog has devised a short-term and medium-to-long term action plan to help India achieve 50 medals in - 2024 summer Olympics •    The company that has landed a 99.7-million dollar contract from Vietnam Border Guard to design, construct and supply high-speed patrol vessels is - Larsen & Toubro (L&T) •    Two institutions that signed an MoU to work jointly towards sustainable development of the tea sector are - the United Planters' Association of Southern India (UPASI) and the China Tea Marketing Association (CTMA) •    Asian Development Bank in September 2016 approved 631 million US dollars loan for- Visakhapatnam-Chennai industrial corridor •    Two companies that recently signed MoU with Dhamra LNG Terminal Private Limited for taking equity stake in the Terminal- Indian Oil Corporation Limited and GAIL India Limited •  CCEA approved the partial capital grant of 5176 crore rupees for development of 2539 km long Jagdishpur-Haidia and Bokaro-Dhamra Gas Pipeline (JHBDPL) project to- GAIL (India) Limited •    Person appointed as the World Bank Country Director for India recently- Junaid Ahmad •    PV Bharathi was recently appointed as the Executive Director (ED) of- Canara Ban •    Oscar-winning director of movie LA Confidential who passed away recently- Curtis Hanson •    The India cricketer who was recently named the captain of the India's all time Test XI by Wisden is - MS Dhoni •    The person recently appointed the chairman of the BCCI Selection Committee is - MSK Prasad •    The Indian industrialist who was recently conferred the Clinton Global Citizen Award is - Adi Godrej •    Person sworn in as the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court- Girish Chandra Gupta •    The team lifted the title of the Obaidullah Khan Heritage Cup Hockey Tournament by defeating Indian Railways - Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) •    The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its approval for initiating the process of winding up of Hindustan Diamond Company Private Limited (HDCPL), which is a - 50:50 joint venture of the Union Government and De Beers Centenary Mauritius Limited (DBCML) •    The Union Cabinet approved the signing and ratification of agreement for the exchange of information with respect to Taxes with – Samoa •    The Union Cabinet approved the provision of a direct communication link through a dedicated submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) between - Mainland (Chennai) and Andaman and Nicobar Islands •    The two nations that was requested by Assam Government to immediately rectify their travel advisory to its citizens to the state - UK and Australia •    Country that topped the World Economic Freedom (WEF) Index 2016- Hong Kong •   India stood at which position in the World Economic Freedom (WEF) Index 2016- 112th •   Nobel laureate who was honoured as the 2016 Humanitarian of the Year by the Harvard Foundation- Aung San Suu Kyi •    Person appointed as the India's Ambassador to Sweden recently- Monika Kapil Mohta • Transportation app Ola in September 2016 tied-up for Cab Booking Interface Integration with- Yatra.Com •    Country hit by Typhoon Meranti recently- China •    Joint Sea-2016 naval exercise was conducted between- China and Russia •    Person appointed as the Chairman of Life Insurance Corporation of India recently- VK Sharma •  International Day of Peace was observed across the world on 21 September 2016 with theme - The Sustainable Development Goals: Building Blocks for Peace •    The Giant African Land Snail (GALS) was spotted in the campus of - the Goa University at Taleigao •    Number of cities in the third list of Smart Cities that was released by Union Government – 27 •    Scientists at MIT have developed a spectroscopic technique that would help the 2020 Mars Rover to identify the signs of life at – Mars •    Rushiraj Barot won gold in the junior men's 25m rapid fire pistol event in - ISSF Junior World Cup •    The state that objected to Genetically-Modified (GM) mustard from being considered for commercial cultivation in India is – Kerala •    Two-day North East Connectivity Summit was held in- Agartala •    Person who resigned as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jubilant FoodWorks Limited recently- Ajay Kaul •    Company acquired by Facebook recently to build Wi-Fi drones, data servers and virtual reality goggles faster- Nascent Objects •    Service launched by Indian Railways recently to facilitate access to wheelchairs, battery operated cars for elderly, differently-abled people- Yatri Mitra Sewa •    World Leaders recently at the United Nations General Assembly Summit for Refugees and Migrants adopted the- New York Declaration •    Company that was recently conferred with the prestigious membership of the Asia-Pacific Aerospace Quality Group- Hindustan Aeronautics Limited •    The first football referee of Odisha who recently passed away at age of 100 is - Narottam Mohanty •   Naropa Festival recently started in Ladakh region of India. The festival is also known as - Kumbh of Himalayas •    A team of researchers recently created a three-dimensional lung, called as organoids. This technique could be used to study specifically - Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis •    The financial services firm with which the Board of Control for Cricket in India recently tied up is - Janalakshmi Financial Services •    Anandi Ramalingam has been appointed as the first woman Director (Marketing) of - Bharat Electronics Limited •    He became the first minority actor in 18 years to win the Emmy Award for best leading actor in a drama series - Rami Malek •    India successfully test-fired the most advanced surface-to-air missile off the Odisha coast - 'Barak-8' •    Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on 19 September 2016 inaugurated the super computer PARAM ISHAN at - IIT Guwahati campus •    President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party on 19 September 2016 won the Russian parliamentary election by securing 343 seats of the total 450 in - Duma, the lower house of Russian Parliament •    The Cauvery Supervisory Committee headed by Shashi Shekhar directed Karnataka to release 3000 cusecs of water per day from 21 to 30 September 2016 to - Tamil Nadu •    Guided Missile Destroyer Ship that was launched recently at Mazagaon Dock Ship Builders Limited (MDL), Mumbai- INS Mormugao •    Malayalam critic chosen for the prestigious N Mohanan Suvarna Mudra Award 2016- M Leelavathy •    Pulitzer-winning US playwright who authored the masterpiece Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and died recently- Edward Albee •    Person appointed as the Head of International Society for Blood Transfusion (ISBT) recently- Ravi Reddy •    Sports personality appointed as Brand Ambassador of Punjab National Bank recently- Virat Kohli •    The UPSC member who was recently appointed the Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission is- Alka Sirohi •    Charkhi Dadri has been recently declared as the 22nd district of - Haryana •    The Indian hearing-impaired shooter who won the bronze medal in the first World Deaf Shooting Championships is - Priyesha Deshmukh\ •    The recent joint naval exercises conducted between China and Russia in the South China Sea is - Joint Sea-2016 •    The drama series that won the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards is - Game of Thrones •    The Indian wrestler who won gold medal in Junior World Wrestling Championships is – Manisha •    Indian shooters clinched seven medals, including three golds, on the opening day of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Cup for pistol, rifle and shotgun at - Gabala in Azerbaijan •    The new import policy for marble and travertine blocks and marble and granite slabs notified by the government will come into effect from - 1 October 2016 •    First Indian music and dance festival aimed to showcase the country's rich and diverse culture was kicked off in - Sydney, Australia •    7-day-long Naropa festival is being celebrated in- Jammu and Kashmir

Barack Obama vetoed a bill

Barack Obama vetoed a bill that would have allowed families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia US President Barack Obama on 23 September 2016 vetoed a bill that would have allowed the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia. Earlier, the Justice against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) was passed by both the chambers of the Republican controlled Congress. As per President, the JASTA, would have jeopardized the long standing international principles regarding sovereignty and would have made adverse impact with US interests and nationals overseas.  In his message accompanying his veto, he said that the bill departs from longstanding standards and practice under US Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. It also threatens to strip all foreign governments of immunity from judicial process in the country based solely upon allegations by private litigants that a foreign government's overseas conduct had some role or connection to a group or person that carried out a terrorist attack inside the United States. The US President said the bill would upset longstanding international principles regarding sovereign immunity, putting in place rules that, if applied globally, could have serious implications for the country's national interests and it can even complicate relations with its closest partners.

Asia’s oldest MTB race kicks off in Shimla

Asia’s oldest MTB race kicks off in Shimla The 12th edition of Asia’s oldest and world’s 3rd toughest mountain biking (MTB) race kicked off on 24 September 2016 from historic Ridge Maidan of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh. Nearly 67 participants from 14 countries including 11 men of SSB are taking part in the race which would conclude on 3 October 2016 in Dharmshala, the district headquarter of Kangra. Mohit Sood, President Himalayan Adventure Sport and Tourism Promotion Association said that total 650 kilometers would be covered by the participants during their journey. This year the new route of race is going to be more challenging to the riders in terms of terrain. There will be an equal amount of uphill and downhill segments in the race. Looped circuits of approximately 60-70 km each day of the race will be covered by the riders. On the way these bikers would also meet 10000 school children’s studying in the different government schools and aware them to preserve environment as well as adopt habit of cycling in their day today activities.