Weekly CA Quiz: March 2018 4rd week with PDF

Explanation: Asia’s largest startup ecosystem congregation, Huddle Kerala, will be held at Kovalam, Kerala on April 6 and 7. The initiative is envisaged to provide a platform for start-ups to pitch their products and interact with a wide array of technology and industry leaders from around the world.

Explanation: Former Manipur Chief Minister R K Dorendra Singh has passed away at the age of 83. Dorendra Singh had been chief minister of the state four times between 1974 to 1993.

Explanation: The former chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Vineet Joshi, was appointed the first director-general of the National Testing Agency (NTA), an independent body dedicated to conducting entrance tests for higher education in India.

Explanation: Indu Bhushan was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Centre’s ambitious Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission (ABNHPM).

Explanation: Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched the country’s first artificial intelligence-powered voicebot in the banking sector. The voicebot has been developed using a library of millions of phone-banking conversations over the past three years.

Explanation: Senior bureaucrat Chandra Bhushan Kumar has been appointed as Deputy Election Commissioner as part of a major bureaucratic reshuffle by the government.

Explanation: In the wake of increasing crimes against women, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched ‘181-Sakhi’, a toll-free helpline number for women.

Explanation: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu flagged off the International Yachting Festival in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The festival is being held from March 29 to April 1. This International Yachting Festival is the first step in developing sea tourism in Visakhapatnam.

Explanation: Tata Motors has entered into a three-year partnership with the BCCI under which its compact SUV Nexon will be an official partner for the popular T20 tourney, the Indian Premier League (IPL). The latest edition of the IPL begins on April 7.

Explanation: Pakistan conducted successful test fire of indigenously developed Submarine Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM) BABUR having a range of 450 KMs. SLCM BABUR is capable of delivering various types of payloads and incorporates state of the art technologies.

Explanation: Ferrari’s German driver Sebastian Vettel won the F1 season’s opening Grand Prix and overall his third Australian Grand Prix title in Melbourne. Defending F1 champion Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton, who had begun the race at the pole position, came second ahead of Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

Explanation: The first Print Biennale India – 2018, an international exhibition of graphic prints began in New Delhi. Artists from across the world have sent their works and are showcasing their artwork in this international exhibition.

Explanation: The Health Secretary Smt. Preeti Sudan, released the TB INDIA 2018 Report and National Drug Resistance Survey Report. She also launched the ‘NikshayAushadi Portal’ and shorter regimen for Drug Resistant TB. She further stated that the global target to end TB is 2030 but India will end it by 2025.

Explanation: India Under-16 team have won the Jockey Cup International Youth Invitational Football Tournament title held in Hong Kong.

Explanation: The International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is observed annually on 25 March by the United Nations. The theme of International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade in 2018 is “Remember Slavery: Triumphs and Struggles for Freedom and Equality”.

Explanation: The Maharashtra government has imposed a complete ban on plastic carry bags and thermocol cutlery, becoming the 18th state of the country to impose such ban. In case of violation, the manufacturers and users will have to pay fine of Rs. 5,000. Karnataka became the first state to ban all forms of plastic irrespective of its thickness. From plastic carry bags to plastic spoons, everything was banned.

Explanation: The Cabinet approved Rs 6,600 crore for providing education loans to students belonging to economically weaker sections. The government over the period of 2017-18 to 2019-20 would provide loans for 10 lakh students.

Explanation: Government will come out with a Rs 350 commemorative coin to mark 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th and last Sikh Guru.

Explanation: Cabinet has approved Schemes of North Eastern Council (NEC) including continuation of existing Schemes. It will boost the development projects in North-East. 4,500 crore rupeeshave been approved for the scheme for three years upto March, 2020.

Explanation: The Supreme Court appointed Justice Jawad Rahim as the acting chairperson of the National Green Tribunal (NGT). Justice Rahim would also participate in the selection process of judicial experts.

Explanation: Jana Small Finance Bank has finally commenced operations after a year of receiving final license from Reserve Bank of India. The bank plans to foray into affordable housing loans and consumer durable loans while it will continue with focus on microfinance. The bank has its headquarters in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Explanation: Incumbent Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has been re-elected to the post for the second time. Sisi won the elections with a brute majority, amassing a massive 92 percent vote share.

Explanation: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the GSLV-F08 carrying the GSAT-6A communication satellite from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota.

Explanation: One of the most popular Malayalam film personalities, Sreekumaran Thampi was awarded the prestigious J.C. Daniel Award for in recognition of his sterling contributions to the Malayalam film industry.

Explanation: The Export-Import Bank, Exim Bank has announced that it will provide a USD 500 million credit facility to Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to fund various development projects in western-south Africa.

Explanation: Veteran director Shekhar Kapur has been appointed as chairman of the central panel of the 65th National Film Awards. Mr Kapur is known for his work in Hindi cinema and International cinema.

Explanation: Muskan Bhanwala won the gold medal at the Shooting Junior World Cup as she topped the women’s 25 metres Pistol event.

Explanation: A Rs 5 crore insect museum with the state-of-the-art amenities was unveiled by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswamy at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. The museum, established at a 6,691 sqft area, is fully dedicated to insects and is first of its kind in the country.

Explanation: The government has extended the deadline for linking Aadhaar with PAN for the fourth time by three more months, till June 30. It also extended the deadline for linking Aadhaar with the disbursal of benefits including subsidies under the social welfare schemes by three more months, till June 30.

Explanation: Myanmar’s Parliament has elected Win Myint as the country’s next President, a week after the resignation of his predecessor Htin Kyaw.

Explanation: Ministry of Communications has launched the Cool EMS Service between India and Japan. Cool EMS service is one-way service from Japan to India which allows customers in India to import Japanese food items for personal use which is allowed under Indian regulations. Initially, Cool EMS Service will be available in Delhi only.

Explanation: Ethiopia’s ruling coalition has elected Abiye Ahmed as new Prime Minister, following the resignation of Hailemariam Desalegn last month.

Explanation: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a USD 80 million loan to help modernise technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions and improve the skills ecosystem in the state of Himachal Pradesh.

Explanation: According to Ookla’s Speedtest index, India, the largest consumer of mobile data in the world, ranks 109th when it comes to mobile Internet download speeds. The average download speed over the mobile increased to 9.01 mbps in February from the 8.80 mbps in November last year.

Explanation: Srinagar’s Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden has been opened for visitors. Deemed as Asia’s largest tulip garden, it is situated on the foothills of the Zabarwan mountain range by the banks of the Dal Lake.

Explanation: Veteran journalist Veturi Sriharsha has passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest. He had previously worked with The Indian Express, Pioneer and Deccan Chronicle.

Explanation: Aleksandra Liashkova from Belarus was crowned Miss Supermodel Worldwide 2018 at a grand finale in Gurugram, Haryana. India’s Shweta Parmar was awarded Miss Congeniality.

Explanation: Surat district located in Gujarat has become the first district in the country to have 100 percent solar powered Primary Health Centers (PHC). There are a total of 52 PHCs in the district and all of them are now powered by solar system.

Explanation: Norway is positioned at the top with an average download speed of 62.07 mbps.

Explanation: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched the ‘Mission Sambhav’ campaign, which aims at spreading the message of toilet construction in 33 districts of the state. The scheme aims to promote mass mobilisation through public representatives, local units of security forces, NGOs, and colleges.

Explanation: The duo of Manu Bhaker and Anmol secured gold medal in the ISSF junior World Cup by winning the mixed 10m air pistol event with a qualification world record.

Explanation: India has become the 3rd largest electricity producer in the world as its electricity production grew 34% over seven years to 2017. The country now produces more energy than Japan and Russia, which had 27% and 8.77% more electricity generation capacity installed, respectively, than India seven years ago.

Explanation: National Champion Anish Bhanwala bagged a gold medal in the men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event of the ongoing International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun in Sydney, Australia.

Explanation: Google commemorated the 45th anniversary of the Chipko movement with a doodle on 25th March. In 1973, villagers in Uttar Pradesh’s Chamoli district (now Uttarakhand) took to hugging trees to prevent their felling at the hands of contractors.

Explanation: The world’s biggest cruise-liner, “Symphony of the Seas”, has left the shipyard of Saint-Nazaire in France to embark on its maiden voyage in the Mediterranean.

Explanation: According to the latest 2018 global data show, our nation has overtaken Germany and has become the fourth largest automobile market in the world. Automobile sales, including passenger and commercial vehicles, in Asia’s third largest economy grew 9.5%.

Explanation: Punjab won its first National title in five years, registering a 2-1 win against Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) in the final of the 8th men’s National hockey championships held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

Explanation: China topped the list followed by USA and Japan.

Explanation: Ministry of Human Resource Development has approved ‘Study in India’ programme. The ‘Study in India’ programme’s primary objective is to target foreign students by branding India as an attractive education destination. The move is aimed to improve the global ranking of Indian educational institutes.

Explanation: The SARAS Aajeevika Mela 2018 was organized by Ministry of Rural Development in New Delhi. The mela provides rural women producers with a national platform and an opportunity to showcase their products and seek buyers.

Explanation: The overhead cables in India’s oldest city, Varanasi, are being dismantled and replaced with underground lines 86 years after the city first got electricity. As a part of the process, a ₹432-crore project aiming to lay down 16 sq km of underground lines was started in December 2015. The project, which is expected to serve 50,000 people, lasted two years.

Explanation: Mukesh Ambani-helmed Reliance Industries Ltd announced an integration with leading music app Saavn for its digital music service JioMusic. The combined entity is valued at over $1 billion, with JioMusic’s implied valuation at $670 million.

Explanation: Rio-Olympic silver-medalist PV Sindhu will be the flag-bearer of the Indian contingent for the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia to be held from 4 Apr 2018 to 15 Apr 2018.

Explanation: Equitas Small Finance Bank has launched a new ‘Yellow Army Savings Account’ to increase its customer base through its association with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), a franchise of the Indian Premium League (IPL).

Explanation: Kerala, which last year became the first Indian State to declare Internet a basic human right, has notched up another first to its credit by launching mKeralam, an app that will serve as a single window for accessing thousands of government services.

Explanation: World Tuberculosis Day, observed on 24 March each year, is designed to build public awareness about the global epidemic of tuberculosis (TB) and efforts to eliminate the disease. The theme of World Tuberculosis Day in 2018 is “Wanted: Leaders for a TB-free world”. World TB Day is one of eight official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Explanation: Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot launched the first Indian Sign Language (ISL) Dictionary of three thousand words. The basic aim of developing the ISL Dictionary is to remove communications barriers between the deaf and hearing communities as it is focused on providing more information in Indian sign language.

Explanation: One of the BJP’s spokesperson announced that the birth anniversary of India’s Dalit social reformer Dr BR Ambedkar will be celebrated as ‘Social Justice Day’.

Explanation: Pankaj Advani has defended his Asian Billiards Championships title. In the summit clash at Yangon in Myanmar, Advani defeated his practice partner B Bhaskar 6-1. With this win, Advani remains the reigning Indian, Asian and world champion in billiards for 2017-18.

Explanation: Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) organized the 5th edition of India Maize Summit on March 23rd , 2018 at FICCI, Federation House, New Delhi.  FICCI has been organizing India Maize Summit since 2013 and after the success of last four editions, FICCI has now declared this as an Annual event.