Daily Current Affairs and GK | 17 November 2019

1. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) releases ranking based on tap water quality

• BIS conducted a study for the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, considering samples of drinking water collected from capitals of 20 Indian states.
• Mumbai topped the ranking (as all the samples drawn from the capital complies with the BIS norms) while Delhi is placed at the bottom.
• 11 samples drawn from various places in Delhi failed to comply with several parameters.
• Not even a single sample collected from 13 capitals viz. Chandigarh, Thiruvananthapuram, Patna, Bhopal, Guwahati, Bengaluru, Gandhi Nagar, Lucknow, Jammu, Jaipur, Dehradun, Chennai and Kolkata complied with the Indian Standard 10500:2012.
• Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, the government aims to provide safe and clean tap water to all households by 2024.
• Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS):
  • It is an Indian national standard body that was established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016.
  • It works under the aegis of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
  • Headquarters: New Delhi
• Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution- Ram Vilas Paswan

2. First night trial of Agni-II conducted successfully

• The first night trial of Agni-II has been successfully conducted from Dr. Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast.
• A special Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Army carried out the trial with logistics support from DRDO.
• Agni-II:
  • It is a surface-to-surface intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM).
  • It is a medium-range nuclear-capable missile and has been inducted into the armed forces.
  • It has a strike range of 2000 km and a launch weight of 17 tonnes. Also, it can carry a payload of 1000 kg.

3. 6^th National Summit on 'Good and Replicable Practice and Innovations in Public Healthcare System in India’ inaugurated

• 6^th National Summit on 'Good and Replicable Practice and Innovations in Public Healthcare System in India’ has been inaugurated at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will be organizing this three-day summit.
• The incidence of Malaria, Cancer and Diarrhoea has declined during the last one year due to Swachh Bharat Mission, informed the Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan.
• Malaria is a mosquito borne disease caused by Plasmodium (carrier- Female Anopheles mosquito).
• Diarrhoea is an infectious disease that can be caused by either a virus, bacteria, or parasite.
• Cancer is a disease in which there is an abnormal cell growth that has the potential to spread to other body parts.

4. TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix 2019 released

• TRACE International released the 2019 edition of the TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix.
• Among the South Asian nations, Bangladesh (178) has the highest business bribery risk, while Bhutan (54) is at the lowest risk of bribery.
• Overall, New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland have the lowest bribery risk, while countries like Somalia, South Sudan, North Korea, Yemen and Venezuela showed the highest risk of bribe demands.
• TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix:
  • The Matrix ranks 200 countries across the globe based on the following four parameters:
    • Business interaction with government
    • Anti-bribery deterrence and enforcement
    • Government and Civil Service Transparency
    • Capacity for Civil Society Oversight
  • TRACE International is a recognized anti-bribery business organization based in US.

5. Justice Akil Abdulhamid Kureshi sworn in as Chief Justice of Tripura HC

• Justice Akil Abdulhamid Kureshi has sworn in as Chief Justice of Tripura High Court.
• He was administered the oath of office by the Governor of Tripura Ramesh Bais.
• He was appointed as the Chief Justice of Tripura High Court on 8^th November 2019 by the President of India.
• Justice Akil Kureshi has served as the Judge of Bombay and Gujarat High Court.

6. Rezwana Choudhary Bannya conferred with ICCR Alumni Award

• Rezwana Choudhary Bannya, an advocate of Rabindra Sangeet from Bangladesh, has been conferred the ICCR distinguished alumni award in Dhaka.
• The high commissioner of India to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das presented the award to her.
• The Distinguished Alumni Award is given to recognize the contribution of foreign students who studied in Indian universities in promoting friendship between their countries and India. The award was instituted in 2015.
• Rezwana Choudhary has also been a recipient of the ‘Independence Award’, the highest civilian honour of Bangladesh.

7. Regional Conference on ‘Replication of Good Governance Practice in J&K and Ladakh’ concludes

• The regional conference on ‘Replication of Good Governance Practices in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh’ was inaugurated by Minister of State for Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region Dr. Jitendra Singh.
• The two-day conference concluded with the adoption of Jammu Resolution- Sushashan Sankalp: Jammu Ghoshna
• Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) collaborated with govt. of J & K and Ladakh to organize this conference.
• DARPG- It is a department under the Ministry of Personnel and Training, Administrative Reforms, Public Grievances and Pensions that is responsible for administrative reforms as well as redress of public grievances related to the States and Central Government agencies.

8. 63^rd National Shotgun Shooting Championship begins

• The 63^rd National Shotgun Shooting Championship has begun in New Delhi.
• The events schedule is as follows:
  • Women’s Trap: 17^th-18^th November 2019
  • Men’s Trap: 20^nd-22^nd November 2019
  • Mixed Trap Event: 23^rd November 2019.
• The championships will conclude with the mixed skeet team competition.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Under which of the following initiatives/ mission, the Government of India aims to provide safe and clean tap water to all households by 2024?

1. Jal Jeevan Mission
2. Swajal Scheme
3. Jal Shakti Abhiyan
4. MGNREGA

Correct Answer: a

2. Agni-II is a ________________ intermediate range Ballistic Missile.

1. Surface to Air
2. Air to Air
3. Anti Tank
4. Surface to Surface

Correct Answer: d

3. Malaria is a mosquito borne disease caused by _________.

1. Virus
2. Bacteria
3. Plasmodium
4. All of the above

Correct Answer: c

4. According to the Bribery Risk Matrix 2019 released by TRACE International, which of the following countries is at the lowest risk of Bribery?

1. New Zealand
2. Bhutan
3. Denmark
4. Finland

Correct Answer: a

5. Who has been appointed as the new Chief Justice of Tripura High Court?

1. Akil Abdulhamid Kureshi
2. Kalpesh Satyendra Jhaveri
3. Amreshwar Pratap Sahi
4. Abhay Shreeniwas Oka

Correct Answer: a