Daily Current Affairs and GK | 15 and 16 March 2020

1. Top table tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal won Oman Open Title

• Top table tennis player Achanta Sharat Kamal won the ITTF Challenger plus Oman Open title with a brilliant performance.
• He has defeated Portugal’s top-seeded Marcos Freitas in the finals.
• The final was played in Muscat, Oman.
• The 37-year-old Sharath won his last title at the 2010 Egypt Open.
• He then reached the semi-finals twice at the 2011 Morocco Open and 2017 India Open but failed to win the trophy.

2. Parliamentary panel recommended to increase fishermen’s insurance cover

• Recently the parliamentary panel has recommended increasing the insurance cover of fishermen, as they face a high level of risk.
• This panel was headed by P.C. Gaddigoudar.
• According to the report of the panel, only 29,25,000 fishermen out of 1.6 crore fishermen are covered under the insurance scheme.
• The insurance scheme gives Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 2 lakh for death or permanent total disability and Rs 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh for partial permanent disability.

3. Government declared face mask and hand sanitizer as essential items

• Face masks (2ply & 3 ply surgical masks, N95 masks) and hand sanitizers are declared as essential commodities for the next 100 days.
• The decision aims to contain the spread of coronavirus disease and to prevent the hoarding and black-marketing of these items.
• The government has notified these items as essential commodities up to June 30, 2020, by amending the schedule of the Essential Commodities Act 1955.
• This decision also empowers the government to take action against the people involved in overpricing and black marketing.

4. Central Government has declared the novel coronavirus a notified disaster

• The Central Government has declared the novel coronavirus as a notified disaster in the country so that the State Disaster Relief Fund - SDRF can be used to deal with it.
• The World Health Organization has already declared the coronavirus a pandemic globally.
• Under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, SDRF funds are used only for the notified disasters like cyclones, earthquakes, droughts, landslides, hailstorms, cloudbursts, avalanches, frosts, pest attacks and cold waves.

5. Scientists at the National Institute of Virology isolated 11 strains of Covid-19

• The researchers at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune have isolated 11 strains of Covid-19.
• India is the fifth country after Japan, Thailand, the US, and China to successfully isolate strains of the virus.
• This step will be helpful in the development of vaccines and drugs for Covid-19.

6. GST rates on mobile phones will be increased from 12% to 18%

• The Goods and Services Tax Council has decided to increase GST rates on mobile phones from 12% to 18% from 1 April.
• This decision has been taken in the meeting of the GST Council held in New Delhi.
• The council also decided to reduce the GST on maintenance, repair and other services for aircraft from 12% to 5%, while the tax rate for handmade and machine-made matches has been decided to be 12%.
• The council has asked Infosys, who designed GSTN, to provide a better GSTN system by July 2020.

7. Chief Minister of Manipur announced the biggest scheme for welfare of sports persons

• CM of Manipur has announced the biggest ever scheme for the welfare of sportspersons and artists of the state.
• The names of these schemes are ‘Chief Minister’s Akhannaba Sanaroising gi Tengbang (CMAST)’ and Chief Minister Artist Sing gi Tengbang (CMAT)’.
• CMAST scheme- Employment will be provided to sports persons in government services, who have won medals in notified disciplines in selected International sports competitions. Also, the sportspersons who are unemployed and have played national and international tournaments shall be liable to the lifetime pension.
• CMAT Scheme- Pensions will be provided to selected artists who are 60 years and above. Cultural groups and institutes for training and productions will be given monetary support. 

8. Appointment of Baseer Ahmed Khan as Advisor to LG of Jammu and Kashmir

• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has recently approved the appointment of Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Baseer Ahmed Khan, as Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor.
• He will assist Girish Chandra Murmu, the Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, in the effective discharge of his functions.
• It is known that Jammu and Kashmir was made a union territory on 31 October 2019.

9. March 15: World Consumer Rights Day

• World Consumer Rights Day is observed every year on 15^th March.
• This day is celebrated to raise global awareness about consumer rights and needs.
• Its theme for the year 2020 is “The Sustainable Consumer”.
• In India, National Consumer Day is observed on 24^th December.
• The Central Government has enacted the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, replacing the old Consumer Protection Act of 1986, to protect the interests of consumers and timely settlement of disputes.

10. Plastics, wastes have blocked the path of the river Vrishabhavati

• Pollutants from the industries, raw sewage and plastic waste, etc. have blocked the path of the old river.
• The Vrishabhavati river flows in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• This river was once so sacred that its water was used for drinking and was also used by the famous Gali Anjaneya temple.

Multiple Choice Questions(MCQs)

1. Achanta Sharat Kamal, recently in news, is related to which game?

A. Table Tennis

B. Hockey

C. Cricket

D. Volleyball

2. Recently the parliamentary panel has recommended to increase the insurance cover of fishermen. Who is the head of this panel?

A. S.N. Chaturvedi

B. P.C. Gaddigoudar

C. C.S. Manglik

D. B.N. Mishra

3. Recently, the government amended the schedule of which act to declare face masks and hand sanitizers as essential commodities?

A. Essential Commodities Act 1955

B. Essential Commodities Act 1965

C. Essential Commodities Act 1975

D. Essential Commodities Act 1985

4. Where is the National Institute of Virology located?

A. Hyderabad

B. Bengaluru

C. Indore

D. Pune

5. The Goods and Services Tax Council has decided to increase the GST rate on mobile phones from 12% to ____.

A. 15%

B. 18%

C. 28%

D. 30%

6. Recently which state government has announced a scheme named Chief Minister’s Akhannaba Sanaroising gi Tengbang?

A. Kerala

B. Tripura

C. Karnataka

D. Manipur

7. Who has been appointed as Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir?

A. Abdul Ahmed Khan

B. Salman Basir

C. Baseer Ahmed Khan

D. Anjum Chaudhary

8. World Consumer Rights Day is observed every year on which day?

A. 12 March

B. 18 March

C. 15 March

D. 20 March

9. Vrishabhavati river flows in which state?

A. Tamil Nadu

B. Karnataka

C. Andhra Pradesh

D. Chhattisgarh

10. The State Disaster Relief Fund can be utilized for which of the following calamities under the Disaster Management Act 2005?

A. Pest attacks

B. Cold Waves

C. Landslides

D. All of the above

Solution

1. A

2. B

3. A

4. D

5. B

6. D

7. C

8. C

9. B

10. D