13 March 2019: The Current Affairs section QuickMySupport to help every competitive exam aspirant to revise the day at ease. The day’s updated cover topics such as First Lokayukta Chairman, ICC World Cup 2019 and Nobel laureate Zhores Alferov among others.
1. India fetched what position in the latest report of the World Gold Council in terms of the quantum of gold holding?
ANS: 11th
As per the latest report of the World Gold Council, India has the 11th largest gold reserve and the current gold holding is pegged at 607 tonnes. The top spot is occupied by US gold reserves of 8,133.5 tonnes, followed by Germany at second with 3,369.7 tonnes gold reserves.
2. Russian Nobel laureate Zhores Alferov passed away at the age of 88 in the beginning of March. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his outstanding contribution in which field?
ANS: Physics
Zhores Alferov, a Russian physicist and Nobel Prize laureate, passed away on March 2, 2019. He was 88. His death was announced by the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, where Alferov had been a deputy since 1995. In 2000, Alferov had received the Nobel Prize in Physics together with US scientists Jack Kilby and Herbert Kroemer, for developing semiconductor heterostructures used in high-speed-and optoelectronics.
3. C Lalsawta was sworn in as the first Lokayukta Chairman of which state?
ANS: Mizoram
Retired IAS officer C Lalsawta was on March 11, 2019 sworn-in as the first Chairman of the newly-constituted Lokayukta in Mizoram. The appointment of the Lokayukta chairman was done after due consultations and fulfilment of judicious selection procedures.
4. How much money has the RBI decided to infuse into the system through open market operations?
ANS: Rs 12,500 crore
The Reserve Bank of India, RBI has said it will infuse 12,500 crore rupees into the system through open market operations (OMOs) on March 14, 2019. The central bank said that based on an assessment of prevailing liquidity conditions and also of the durable liquidity needs going forward, it will conduct the purchase of the government securities under open market operations.
5. Over 40 countries including India decided to ground which model of Boeing aircraft?
ANS: Boeing 737 MAX
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on March 12, 2019 midnight ordered to ground the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft fleet in India with immediate effect following the Ethiopian Airlines crash. India joined the growing list of countries to have temporarily grounded the aircraft. Ethiopia, China, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and the United Kingdom had earlier decided to suspend the Aircraft.
6. Who led to the development of World Wide Web, which recently completed its 30 years?
ANS: Tim Berners-Lee
Google Doodle on March 12, 2019 celebrated 30 years of the World Wide Web (WWW), an invention of Sir Tim Berners-Lee. The doodle showed the Earth revolving inside a computer connected to a switch on its letters.
7. Which company became the official sponsor of ICC World Cup 2019 on March 12, 2019?
ANS: GoDaddy
GoDaddy Inc., the company that manages internet names and registrations, on March 12, 2019 signed a partnership with the International Cricket Council (ICC) as official sponsor of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019.
8. Which state presented the Tax-Free Deficit Budget for 2019-20 on March 12, 2019?
ANS: Meghalaya
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, who also holds the finance portfolio of the state, presented the budget 2019-20 on March 12, 2019. The Meghalaya budget 2019-20 has a fiscal deficit of Rs 1323 crore, which is around 3.65 percent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).
9. As per NASA, the first person on this planet is likely to be a woman.
ANS: Mars
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has said that the first person on Mars is ‘likely to be a woman’. The NASA administrator did not identify a specific person but said women are at the forefront of the agency’s upcoming plans. NASA will also have its first all-female spacewalk at the end of March.
10. Which court has reserved its verdict on plea against BCCI representing India?
ANS: Madras HC
The Madras High Court has reserved its verdict on a public interest litigation petition filed by a Delhi-based woman seeking a direction to the Centre to de-recognise BCCI and its affiliated bodies and associations as the official representative of India.