1) The first meeting of the National Sagarmala Apex Committee (NSAC) was held on 5 October 2015 at New Delhi. This meeting was chaired by Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister of Shipping and Road Transport & Highways. The meeting was part of the ambitious Sagar Mala Project of the Union Goverment. What is the main objective of this project? – To modernize India’s ports so that ports can contribute significantly to India’s growth

Explanation: The Sagar Mala Project was approved by the Union Govt. on 25 March 2015. The main objective of this project is to develop 12 major ports and also over 1,200 islands spread across the country.

·         The project also aims at developing an efficient evacuation system by integrating road, rail, inland and coastal waterways so that ports become the driver of economic activity in country’s coastal areas.

·         The meeting of the National Sagarmala Apex Committee (NSAC) was held to have deliberations on constitution and scope of NSAC, Concept of Sagarmala and decisions of Government of India relating to Sagar Mala Project. Important members of NSAC are – Vice Chairman NITI Aayog, Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, Union Cabinet Ministers of Finance; Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation; Urban Development; Railways; Agriculture; Rural Development; Civil Aviation; Skill Development & Entrepreneurship; Environment, Forests & Climate Change; Commerce and Industry and Tourism.

2) World’s highest terrestrial Research and Development centre was established by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on 3 October 2015 at which place? – Changla (Ladakh), Jammu & Kashmir

Explanation: DRDO’s Extreme Altitude Research Centre at Changla in Jammu & Kashmir’s Ladakh region was inaugurated on 3 October 2015. It is situated 75 km off Leh town towards Pangong lake.

·         This research centre situated at a height of 17,600 feet above sea level thus became the world’s highest terrestrial Research and Development centre.

·         It has been established by Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR), Leh, a constituent establishment of the DRDO.

·         It will be used for R&D work in frontal areas of food and

agriculture and bio-medical sciences for well-being of the soldiers deployed in high-altitude cold desert.

3) What are the names of the three scientists who were jointly chosen for the Nobel Prize 2015 for Medicine (or Physiology) as announced by the Nobel Prize Committee on 5 October 2015? – a) William C. Campbell (US) b) Satoshi Ōmura (Japan) c)Youyou Tu (China)

Explanation: Mr. Campbell and Mr. Omura were chosen for their discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites. They had discovered a new drug, Avermectin, the derivatives of which have radically lowered the incidence of River Blindness and Lymphatic Filariasis. Campbell is a research fellow emeritus at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey while Omura is a professor emeritus at Kitasato University in Japan.

·         Ms. Youyou Tu was chosen for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy for malaria. She had discovered Artemisinin, a drug that has significantly reduced the mortality rates for patients suffering from Malaria. She is chief professor at the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

·         The winners will share the 8 million Swedish kronor (about $960,000) prize money with one half going to Campbell and Omura, and the other to Tu.

·         The medicine award was the first Nobel Prize of year 2015 to be announced.

4) Which bank was listed as the worst performer among the public sector banks (PSU banks) for registering the highest increase in gross non-performing assets (NPAs) in percentage terms against total loans for last fiscal year, as disclosed in recently released data by the RBI? – UCO Bank

Explanation: According the provisional data of the RBI, the gross NPA to gross advances ratio of Kolkata-based UCO Bank increased to 8.05% at the end of March 2015 from 4.47%, thus registering a huge increase of 3.58 on annual basis. It was followed by Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) and Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) with gross NPA rising to 8.30% and 6.18%, respectively, at the end of March 2015. In case of Indian Overseas Bank, variation compared to the previous financial year was 3.46 whereas it was 3.02 for Bank of Maharashtra. Rising NPAs have hit the bottom line of banks and to strengthen their balance sheet, the government is providing Rs. 25,000 crore capital support in the current fiscal year.

5) During October 2015 an agreement (MoU) to oversee operations of Kattupalli Port was signed between Adani Ports and Larsen & Toubro (L&T). Under this non-binding MoU, Adani will evaluate the operations of this port for a period of one month. Kattupalli Port is situated in which state? – Tamil Nadu

Explanation: Kattupalli Port is a captive port near Chennai’s Ennore port. It also has a huge shipyard which is being developed by L&T Shipbuilding Ltd. On 3 October 2015 Adani Ports and L&T signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under which Adani will evaluate the operations of the port with effect from October 2015 for one month. Adani shall be responsible for EBIDTA gains and losses arising from the port operation for this period. However, the shipyard will continue to be managed and operated by L&T Shipbuilding. The development comes amid reports that Gautam Adani-led Adani group is likely to take over the operational and management control of L&T Kattupalli International Container Terminal near Chennai to strengthen its presence on the east coast.

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6) What is the name of the newly founded front that was established in Tamil Nadu on 5 October 2015 by Vaiko-led MDMK, the CPI, CPI (M) and VCK as an alternative to the DMK and the AIADMK? – ‘Makkal Nala Kootiyakkam’ (MNK)

Explanation: ‘Makkal Nala Kootiyakkam’ stands for Peoples’ Welfare Front. It was floated as an alternative front by MDMK, the CPI, CPI (M) and VCK in Tamil Nadu, which is set for elections early next year.