QUIZ – 2017: Insights Current Affairs Quiz, 07 OCTOBER 2017

Solution: a.
India and EU in 2016 endorsed the EU-India Agenda for Action-2020 as a common roadmap to jointly guide and strengthen the India-EU Strategic Partnership in the next five years. Broadly, matters that it deals with include:
• Foreign Policy and Security Cooperation
• Trade and Investment, Business and Economy
• Global Issues/Sector Policy Cooperation
• People-to-people

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=171462;
http://www.mea.gov.in/Images/attach/EU_India_Agenda_for_Action_post_VC.pdf;
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Solution: a.
Making one person in every family digitally literate is one of the integral components of the Prime Minister’s vision of “Digital India”.

Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyaan is the scheme to make six crore persons in rural areas, across States/UTs, digitally literate, reaching to around 40% of rural households by covering one member from every eligible household by 31st March, 2019.

The Scheme would empower the citizens in rural areas by training them to operate computer or digital access devices (like tablets, smart phones etc.), send and receive e-mails, browse Internet, access Government services, search for information, undertake digital payment etc. and hence enable them to use the Information Technology and related applications especially Digital Payments to actively participate in the process of nation building.

https://www.pmgdisha.in/aboutpmgdisha;
Improvisation: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=171446;
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Solution: c.
The organization ICAN is receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for 2017
• for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and
• for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons.

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) is a coalition of non-governmental organizations in one hundred countries promoting adherence to and implementation of the United Nations nuclear weapon ban treaty. This landmark global agreement was adopted in New York on 7 July 2017.

ICAN’s founders were inspired by the tremendous success of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which a decade earlier had played an instrumental role in the negotiation of the anti-personnel mine ban convention, or Ottawa treaty.

http://www.icanw.org/campaign/campaign-overview/;
https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2017/press.html;
From 1997: https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1997/press.html;
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Solution: a.
The decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2017 to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons has a solid grounding in Alfred Nobel’s will. The will specifies three different criteria for awarding the Peace Prize: the promotion of fraternity between nations, the advancement of disarmament and arms control and the holding and promotion of peace congresses. ICAN works vigorously to achieve nuclear disarmament. ICAN and a majority of UN member states have contributed to fraternity between nations by supporting the Humanitarian Pledge. And through its inspiring and innovative support for the UN negotiations on a treaty banning nuclear weapons, ICAN has played a major part in bringing about what in our day and age is equivalent to an international peace congress.

Note: Beginning with the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize (Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan woman who by then had planted over 30 million trees in Africa and campaigned for women’s rights), the Nobel committee expanded the traditional boundaries of the peace prize that were laid out in 1896 in the will of Alfred Nobel. “It is clear that with this award, we have expanded the term peace to encompass environmental questions related to our beloved earth.. Peace on earth depends on our ability to secure our living environment”, stated the Nobel Committee.

https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2017/press.html;

Solution: d.
The Geneva-based International Road Federation (IRF) is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organisation with the mission to encourage and promote development and maintenance of better, safer and more sustainable roads and road networks. It helps put in place technological solutions and management practices that provide maximum economic and social returns from national road investments.

The India Chapter of Geneva-based IRF brings together its Indian members, from both private and public sectors, engaged in road infrastructure development and related business for furthering the cause of (i) Road Safety (ii) Environment (iii) Road Finance and (iv) Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS).

Improvisation and In the news:
• http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/logistics/niti-aayog-irf-to-work-on-policy-for-transportation-systems/article9868700.ece; NITI Aayog recently has signed an agreement with the Geneva-based International Road Federation for designing a policy framework for intelligent transportation systems (ITS) in the country.
• http://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/aayog-foxrms-panel-for-intelligent-transport/article19813738.ece; NITI Aayog has set up a national-level committee constituting officials from various ministries and States to develop a roadmap for the implementation of the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) policy.

https://www.irfnet.ch/about/introduction/83;
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