Weekly CA Quiz: January 2020 3rd week

 The government will provide a financial support of up to Rs 15 lakh under its Rashtriya Arogaya Nidhi scheme for one-time treatment of rare diseases, according to the much awaited draft Rare Diseases Policy.

A mega campaign “Saksham” has been launched by Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan. It is a campaign of Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) which aims to aware the people regarding fuel conservation and greener environment across India.

The Centre has decided to set up an 11-member panel including mines secretaries from various states, to examine issues pertaining to the revision of rates of royalty for minerals.The 11-member committee under the Chairmanship of K. Rajeswara Rao, Mines Additional Secretary will submit the report to the Ministry of Mines after examining the issues raised by stakeholders.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, the UT Administration of Ladakh has organised the 1st-ever Food Processing Summit in the Union Territory Ladakh.

Coast Guards of India and Japan took part in a joint exercise ‘Sahyog-Kaijin’ off the Chennai coast as part of strengthening the bond of the two countries.

The Government of India, the Government of Assam and the World Bank signed a loan agreement of $88 million to help modernize Assam’s passenger ferry sector that runs on its rivers including the mighty Brahmaputra.

Robert Abela has won the elections to become the Prime Minister of Malta. He has become the 14th prime minister of Malta after defeating Chris Fearne.

The Prime Minister of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev has resigned to lead the Russia’s Security Council.

The first edition of Krishi Manthan- the largest Food, Agri-business and Rural Development Summit of Asia organized by Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad held at Ahmedabad in Gujarat.

Pakistan has been ranked one of the worst countries in the world for internet freedom, owing to the restrictions on social media and political reporting, among other factors considered in a survey undertaken by Tech Research company Comparitech.

 I-League club Mohun Bagan announced the merger with Indian Super League (ISL) club ATK.

The annual ICC awards were declared with Ben Stokes winning the highest prize in the form of Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for world player of the year. While Pat Cummins and Rohit Sharma also walked away with top prizes in Test and ODI categories respectively, Indian captain Virat Kohli was bestowed with triple honours.

Russian lawmakers overwhelmingly approved Mikhail V. Mishustin as the new Prime Minister, elevating a little-known technocrat picked by President Vladimir V. Putin as part of an unexpected Kremlin shake-up.

Eminent Sindhi writer Vasdev Mohi will be conferred with 29th Saraswati Samman for his short stories collection- Chequebook. This short stories collection talks about the agonies and sufferings of marginalized sections of the society.Saraswati Samman carries a cash award of 15 lakh rupees, a citation and a plaque.

 Indian researchers Sakya Singha Sen have received first Merck Young Scientist Award 2019 in Chemical Sciences recently at Bangalore instituted by Merck, a science and technology company operating worldwide.

 India’s telecommunication satellite, GSAT30 was successfully launched from onboard Ariane-5 flight at the Kourou launch base in French .GSAT-30, India’s first space mission in 2020, was successfully launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) .

 In a first, Arunachal Pradesh government has taken steps to create a Red Listing of orchids at the state level. For this purpose, the State government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

 Union Minister for Home Affairs, Shri Amit Shah presided over the signing of an agreement between Government of India, Governments of Tripura and Mizoram and Bru-Reang representatives in New Delhi , to end the 23-year old Bru-Reang refugee crisis.

Mizoram will celebrate Chapchar Kut, the biggest and most important festival of the Mizos, on March 6 2010. “Promotion of Mizos’ culture and moral code” has been chosen as the theme for this year Chapchar Kut. Chapchar Kut is a spring festival celebrated usually in March after completion of the Jhum cultivation.

 The Indian Army conducted its biggest airborne exercise called the ‘Winged Raider’ comprising of more than 500 special forces troops in the North-Eastern theatre.

The government awarded the crucial Z-Morh Tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir to APCO Amarnathji Tunnel way Pvt Ltd to be built at a cost of Rs 2,379 crore. Z-Morh Tunnel would provide all-weather road connectivity to Sonamarg tourist spot in Jammu and Kashmir which mostly remains closed during the winters due to heavy snowfall in Gagenger area.

The Supreme Court said it would appoint one of its retired judges, Justice A M Sapre, as the chairman of its committee on road safety after the panel’s current head former apex court judge Justice K S P Radhakrishnan expressed difficulty in continuing in that position.

The 10th edition of World Future Energy Summit (WFES)2020 hosted by Masdar renewable energy company, was held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates(UAE) from January 13-16, 2020. The theme for the year 2020 was “Rethinking Global Consumption, Production, and Investment”.

The United Nations has lowered India’s GDP growth rate to 5.7% for the Fiscal Year 2019-20 in its World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2020 report. UN has lowered the growth rate to 5.7% from 7.6% which it projected in its WESP 2019 report.

 Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen has stretched his unbeaten run to a record-breaking 111 games after securing a draw in a tournament.

 Sania Mirza lifted the WTA Hobart International trophy with partner Nadiia Kichenok after defeating Shaui Peng and Shuai Zhang in the final.It was Mirza’s first tournament since leaving the game in 2017 for a maternity break. It is Sania’s 42nd WTA doubles title.

The 9th International Children’s Film Festival begins with the screening of Aizaz Khan directed Hamid in Kolkata , West Bengal.About 250 films from 45 countries will be screened in the week-long festival.

A dominant Vinesh Phogat won her first gold medal of the 2020 season at the Rome Ranking Series event after teen sensation Anshu Malik settled for a silver in 57kg competition in Rome. She won by technical superiority against Khrystyna Bereza (10-0) and Lannuan Luo (15-5) before getting the better of Qianyu Pang (4-2).

Union minister Arjun Munda was elected as president of the suspended Archery Association of India (AAI) in its much-delayed elections, which were held here smoothly in the presence of three observers. Munda’s entire panel secured majority share of votes and were elected for a full tenure of four years.

Further strengthening its capabilities to hit enemy targets from submarines, successfully test-fired the 3,500 km strike range nuclear-capable K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile off the coast of Andhra Pradesh.

 U.N. shipping agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), aims to reduce the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions by 50% from 2008 levels by 2050, a target that will require the swift development of zero or low emission fuels and new ship designs using cleaner technology.

The 1st edition of Global Social Mobility Report 2020 titled “The Global Social Mobility Report 2020: Equality, Opportunity and a New Economic Imperative” released by World Economic Forum.India has been ranked very low at 76th place out of 82 countries on a new Social Mobility Index.

Southern Army Commander Lieutenant General SK Saini appointed as the new Vice Chief of Army Staff from January 25. The post of Vice Chief of Army Staff fell vacant after Lt Gen MM Naravane, then vice chief, was elevated as the Chief of Army Staff.

Award of Excellence for the year 2019 was given by Computer Society of India (CSI) and Special Interest Group on e-Governance (CSI SIG e-Gov) at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology in Bhubaneswar, Odisha during the CSI 2020, 53rd annual convention of CSI.

A book of essays and reminiscences on Nani A Palkhivala has been released to mark the birth centenary of the noted jurist and economist.

The Indian Air Force deployed the 222 squadron, comprising six Sukhoi-30 specially modified fighter jets, each carrying the 2.5 tonne air-launched supersonic BrahMos cruise missiles Thanjavur.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepali counterpart KP Sharma Oli jointly inaugurated the second Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Jogbani-Biratnagar, built with Indian assistance to facilitate trade and people’s movement.

 Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Dr Kiran Bedi inaugurated the 12 th National Tribal Youth Exchange Programme in Puducherry . Two hundred youths from Naxal-affected districts of Chattisgarh are taking part in this week-long programme.

 Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan announced that the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card‘ scheme will be implemented by June 1, 2020 across the country.

According to a report by a non-profit organisation, India has ranked 5th among the countries surveyed for corporate commitments to science-based targets (SBT). The US and Japan topped the list with 135 and 83 companies, where as the UK ranked third with 78 countries, and France took the fourth spot with 51 companies.

According to a UN report compiled by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) ,India was among the top 10 recipients of Foreign Direct Investment in 2019, attracting $49 billion in inflows, a 16 per cent increase from the previous year, driving the FDI growth in South Asia.

The team of the Indian Consulate defeated the team of the Pakistan Consulate to lift the Diplomat Cup Cricket Championship of 2020 in Dubai. This is the third successive year that India won the Diplomat Cup Championship.

Online food delivery and restaurant discovery platform Zomato has acquired the Indian operations of Uber Eats, the food delivery business run by Uber, for around $350 million (Rs 2,485 crore).

Eminent Indian classical singer and daughter of noted Odia poet Baikunthanath Patnaik, Sunanda Patnaik passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal. She was 85.

Woorkeri Venkat Raman (WV Raman), former Indian cricket team opener has authored a book ‘The Winning Sixer: Leadership Lessons To Master’, which was released formally by Anil Radhakrishna Kumble during an event in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh accorded approval for procurement of equipment worth over ₹5,100 crore from indigenous sources.

 The government notified the structure of the National Startup Advisory Council.The council to be chaired by commerce and industry minister.

Uttar Pradesh Government has launched Mukhyamantri Krishak Durghatna Kalyan Yojana which will provide financial assistance to family of farmers who die or become handicapped while working in fields.

The Supreme Court has set up a panel headed by mediator Niranjan Bhat,to firm up a draft legislation to give legal sanctity to disputes settled through mediation, which would then be sent to the government as a suggestion from the apex court.

 The Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Home Minister Amit Shah, which was constituted to strengthen the legal framework to prevent sexual harassment at the workplace.

 According to the report released by World Gold Council (WGC) titled “World Gold Outlook 2020”,the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) bought 7.5 tonnes of gold last October, buttressing its foreign exchange reserves to $450 billion .RBI became the sixth largest buyer when it purchased 25.2 tonnes in first 10 months of 2019 to hedge government’s sovereign gold bond issue.

The telecom department has approved raising the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in Bharti Airtel to 100% from an earlier 49%, a provision that can help the telco draw more overseas funds.

 The IMF lowered India’s economic growth estimate for the current fiscal to 4.8 per cent from 6.1% and listed the country’s much lower-than-expected GDP numbers as the single biggest drag on its global growth forecast for two years.

Hariharan Balagopal authored book “The Gateway: A Social Commentary on Safety of Senior Citizens” was released by Justice Konakuppakatil Gopinathan Balakrishnan, former Chief Justice of India (CJI), at the 14th Security Leadership Summit held in New Delhi. The book was published by Ailum publications. It stresses about the lack of safety faced by senior citizens.

Former Union Minister Ashwani Kumar authored the book title “Human Dignity – A purpose in perpetuity”, which was released by Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during a book launch event at the India International Centre in New Delhi. The book was published by US(United States) based publisher LexisNexis.

International Labour Organization (ILO) released the World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2020 (WESO). The report forecasted Global unemployment to increase by around 2.5 million in 2020.

India slipped 10 places to 51st position in the 2019 Democracy Index’s global ranking, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit, which cited “erosion of civil liberties” in the country as the primary cause for the downtrend.

The annual meet of World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Davos, Switzerland. World leaders from across the globe will flock to the ski resort town on the Swiss Alps for five days to discuss what’s ailing the world amid fears of the global economy sleepwalking into a crisis.

IN a historic move, Guyana has been elected to chair the Group of 77 next year from Palestine. India a member of the G77, congratulated Guyana on taking over the chairmanship of the Group of 77 for 2020, the year which commemorates the 75th anniversary.

ICICI bank launched cardless cash withdrawal facility from its ATMs with a per day transaction limit of Rs 20,000. This service enables customers to withdraw cash from over 15,000 ATMs of the bank by simply raising a request on iMobile, its mobile banking application.

The National Payment Corporation of India has launched a blockchain-based payments platform called Vajra.It can be accessed by various payment companies for providing secured transactions on their online platforms or mobile applications.

Indian shooters Divyansh Singh Panwar and Apurvi Chandela have clinched a gold medal each in Meyton Cup, a private tournament in Innsbruck, Austria. While Divyansh won the gold in the men’s 10m air rifle event with an effort of 249.7, Apurvi bagged the yellow metal in the 10m air rifle women’s category with a 251.4.

The government appointed Challa Sreenivasulu Setty as the managing director of the State Bank of India for a period of three years. Setty, currently serving as the deputy managing director of the SBI, in the key post.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was honoured with ‘Champions of Change 2019’ award for social welfare . Award was conferred to Jharkhand CM by former President of India Pranab Mukherjee.

 State-owned non-life insurer National Insurance Company Ltd has approved its merger with Oriental Insurance Company Ltd and United India Insurance Company Ltd.New India Assurance Company may also be involved in this merger & The General Insurers’ Public Sector Association (India) is said to approve the amalgamation.

Scientists have created the world’s first living, self-healing robots using stem cells from frogs.Named xenobots after the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) from which they take their stem cells, the machines are less than a millimeter (0.04 inches) wide — small enough to travel inside human bodies. They can walk and swim, survive for weeks without food, and work together in groups.

 According to Greenpeace, India’s fourth Airpocalypse report, Coal-belching Jharia in Jharkhand continues to be the most polluted city in India, while Delhi has made marginal improvement in reducing air pollution.

France will train Indian flight surgeons to enable them to monitor the health of astronauts selected for the ambitious human space mission Gaganyaan. The two-week training is a critical aspect of the Gaganyaan project that is aimed at sending three Indians to space by 2022.