Current Affairs Quiz , 30 Nov 2018

1) Which of the following government schemes is intended to provide last mile connectivity to all remaining un-electrified households in both rural and urban areas?

a) UJWAL Discom Assurance Yojana
b) Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana
c) Saubhagya Yojana
d) UJALA Scheme

Answer: c
• According to the Union Ministry of Power, Eight States have achieved 100 percent saturation in household electrification under Saubhagya namely Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Bihar, J&K, Mizoram, Sikkim, Telangana and West Bengal.
Saubhagya scheme:
• Pradhan Mantri Bhijli Har Ghar Yojana or Saubhagya scheme is intended to provide energy access to all by last mile connectivity and electricity connections to all remaining un-electrified households in rural as well as urban areas to achieve universal electrification.
• The beneficiaries for free electricity connections would be identified using Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data.
• However, un-electrified households not covered under the SECC data would also be provided electricity connections under the scheme on payment of Rs. 500 which shall be recovered by DISCOMs in 10 installments through electricity bill.
• The solar power packs of 200 to 300 Wp with battery bank for un-electrified households located in remote and inaccessible areas, comprises of Five LED lights, One DC fan, One DC power plug.
• It also includes the Repair and Maintenance (R&M) for 5 years.
• Major impacts:
o Environmental upgradation by substitution of Kerosene for lighting purposes.
o Improvement education services.
o Better health services.
o Enhanced connectivity through radio, television, mobiles, etc.
o Increased economic activities and jobs.
o Improved quality of life especially for women.

2) Saltwater Crocodiles are found in which of the following regions in India?

a) Bhittarkanika mangroves
b) Sunderban mangroves
c) Pichavaram mangroves
d) All of the above

Answer: d
• Saltwater crocodiles have been recently sighted in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh showing signs of migration of species.
• At least two saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) have been sighted in the State coast within a month indicating migration of the species from the Odisha coast.
• The estimated number of the saltwater crocodiles increased from 96 in 1976 to 1,640 in 2012 in India due to the rear and release programme established under the Indian Crocodile Conservation Project.
• There have been reports of 131 attacks of the saltwater crocodile in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka between 2009 and 2014 May.
Salt Water Crocodile:
• The saltwater crocodile also is known as the estuarine crocodile, Indo-Pacific crocodile, marine crocodile, sea crocodile is the largest of all living reptiles as well as the largest riparian predator in the world.
• IUCN Status: Least Concern.
• As its name, it can live in marine environments but usually resides in saline and brackish mangrove swamps, estuaries, deltas, lagoons and lower stretches of rivers.
• They have the broadest distribution of any modern crocodile, ranging from the eastern coast of India throughout most of Southeast Asia and northern Australia.
• Distribution:
o A large population of Saltwater crocodile is present within the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary of Odisha and they are known to be present in smaller numbers throughout Indian and Bangladeshi portions of Sundarbans.
o The population also present within the mangrove forests and other coastal areas of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
o It was also once present throughout most of the island of Sri Lanka but remain mostly within protected areas such as Yala National Park.

3) Which of the following has recently been termed as rarest of rare by the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES)?

a) Cyclone Ockhi
b) Cyclone Titli
c) Cyclone Hydhud
d) Cyclone Vardah

Answer: b
• RIMES has recently termed “Cyclone Titli” as rarest of rare cyclones.
• The Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES) for Africa and Asia, a 45-nation international organisation on disaster warning, has termed ‘Titli’, the severe cyclonic storm that devastated Odisha as ‘rarest cyclone’.
• More than 200 years of cyclone track history in the Odisha coast reveals that the Titli cyclone is the rarest of rare in terms of its characteristics such as recurvature after landfall and retaining its destructive potential after landfall and recurvature away from the coastal areas for more than two days.
• Considering the history of cyclone tracks, no synthetic track projection captures the Titli type of cyclones.
Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES):
• The Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES) is an international and intergovernmental institution.
• It is owned and managed by its Member States, for the generation and application of early warning information.
• RIMES evolved from the efforts of countries in Africa and Asia, in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, to establish a regional early warning system within a multi-hazard framework for the generation and communication of early warning information.
• Functions:
o Hazard monitoring, detection, analysis, prediction, and forecasting.
o Risk assessment.
o Potential impact analysis.
o Generation of tailored risk information at different time scales.
o Risk communication.
o Application of tailored risk information in decision-making.

4) Who among the following won the Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Actor in 2018?

a) Amitabh Bacchan
b) Nawazuddin Siddiqui
c) Nazaruddin Shah
d) Nana Patekar

Answer: b
• Nawazuddin Siddiqui was given the award for the Best Performance By An Actor for his film “Manto” while Nandita Das received the FIAPF award for achievement in films in the Asia Pacific region

5) Cope India is a bilateral joint exercise between India and which among the following countries?

a) Sri Lanka
b)The USA
c) Myanmar
d) France

Answer: b
• The Indian Air Force (IAF) and the US Air Force (USAF) have begun a 12-day bilateral joint air exercise known as Cope India 2019 (CI19) involving transport aircraft and fighter jets from both nations.
• Cope India 2019 exercise is being held at two Indian air bases in Kalaikunda and Panagarh in West Bengal.
• CI19 is a US Pacific Air Forces-sponsored field training exercise designed to improve mutual cooperation between the two nations.