News

Who took charge as the new IBA Chief Executive ?                                                                 > Sunil Mehta

l       Noted banker Sunil Mehta on January 27, 2020 assumed charge as the Chief Executive of the Indian Bank’s Association (IBA). He succeeds V.G. Kannan, who demitted office as Chief Executive of IBA on December 31, 2019. Mehta, recently retired as the Managing Director and CEO of the Punjab National Bank. Mr. Mehta holds M.Sc. in Agriculture and MBA in Finance. He is also the holder of CAIIB from Indian Institute of Bankers, Mumbai.

l       Who was appointed as the new Deputy Governor of RBI ?                                           > Michael Debabrata Patra

l      Michael Debabrata Patra was appointed as the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in January, 2020 for a three year term. Prior to be elevated on the post of deputy governor, Mr. Patra was the Executive Director in the RBI Monetary Policy Department. The RBI, currently headed by Governor Shaktikanta Das, can have a maximum four deputies. Apart from Patra, N. S. Vishwanathan, B. P. Kanungo and M. K. Jain are the other three Deputy Governors in RBI at present. Patra joined the RBI in 1985.

l  GSAT-30, India’s first satellite of 2020 was successfully launched. GSAT-30 is a      > Communication Satellite

l       ISRO’s Communication Satellite GSAT-30 was successfully launched by European Space Agency’s heavy lift launch Vehicle Ariane-5 (VA251) at Kourou in French Guiana on January 17, 2020. The 3,357 kg GSAT-30 will replace INSAT-4A for communication purposes. GSAT-30 is equipped with 12 normal C band and 12 Ku band transponders with a mission life of 15 years; it is configured on ISRO’s enhanced I-3K bus structure. It is the first Indian satellite in space in 2020. GSAT-30 will provide DTH service, connectivity to VSATs for ATM, stock exchange, TV uplinking and teleport services and e-governance applications.

l   What is India’s rank on the WEF’s Global Social Mobility Index, 2020 ?                                                > 76th rank

l      India was placed on 76th rank out of 82 countries in the world on the WEF’s first Global Social Mobility Index, 2020, released on January 20, 2020. India got the rank with a score of 42·7. The index has been prepared on 5 dimensions — Health, Education (access, quality and equity), Technology, work (opportunities, wages and conditions), Protections and Institutions (Social protection and inclusive institutions). Denmark emerged on top of the index with a score of 85·2 followed by Norway and Finland on second and third positions respectively.

l     What is India’s rank on EIU’s Global Democracy Index, 2019 ?                                                                   > 51st rank

l       India was ranked on 51st position, moving down 10 places on the Global Democracy Index 2019 released by the Economist Intelligence unit in January 2020. India’s score down from 7·23 out of 10 in 2018 to 6·90 in 2019 edition, is its lowest ever since the first edition of the index in 2006. The index has been prepared on five parameters or categories—electoral process and pluralism; functioning of government; political culture; political participation and civil liberties, carrying 165 independent states and two territories. Norway was adjudjed the most democratic country in the world in the index with a score of 9·87.

Katerina Sakellaropoulou was elected the first woman President of                                                                       > Greece

l     High Court judge and human rights-environment activist Katerina Sakellaropoulou was on January 22, 2020 elected the first woman President of Greece in the Parliamentary vote where 261 lawmakers supported her Presidential candidature in the 300-seat Greece Parliament. The ruling conservative New Democracy Party nominated her for the post. She got support of the opposition ‘Syriza’ party, paving her easy election as the President. Katerina has also been the first woman to serve as the President of the Council of State, the country’s top administrative court.

l    Which country continues to hold the world’s strongest passport on the Henley Passport Index, 2020 ?

                                                                                                                                                 > Japan

l     Japan continues to hold the world’s strongest passport for third straight year as it again emerged on top of the Henley Passport Index, 2020 released in January, 2020 based on data from the International Air Transport Association (AITA). Japanese passport holders can access 191 destinations across the globe on visa free or visa-on-arrival facility. Singapore finishes close second again as in 2019 with 190 destinations with a visa-free or visa on arrival on Singaporean passport. Afghanistan’s passport was adjudged the weakest one in the world on the Henley Passport Index, 2020. Indian passport was ranked 84th in the list.

l     Which country operationalised world’s largest radio telescope ?                                              >  China

l     China on January 11, 2020 operationalised the world’s largest radio telescope with a diametre of 500 metres in Guiyang city, the capital of Guizhou province. Dubbed as “China’s Sky Eye”, the five-hundred metre Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) is a single-dish telescope with a receiving area of around 30 football fields. FAST is capable of receiving a maximum of 38 gigabytes of information per second. It will gradually open to astronomers around the globe, providing them with a powerful tool to unfold the deep secrets of the universe.

l  Which country retained its top rank on the Global Talent Competitiveness Index, 2020 ?        > Switzerland

l     Switzerland retained its top rank on the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI), 2020 with a score of 81·26, released by INSAED, a partner and sponsor of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) tent, on January 22, 2020. The USA and Singapore secured second and third ranks respectively. The GTCI measures and ranks countries based on their ability to grow, attract and retain talent. India was placed on 72nd spot in the current GTCI, moving up eight places in comparison to its previous rank in 2019.

l  Which two countries shared the top spot as the least corrupt country on the Global Corruption Perception Index, 2019 ?          > Denmark and New Zealand

l    Denmark and New Zealand were adjudged the least corrupt countries of the world as they shared the top spot on the Global Corruption Perception Index, 2019, released by the anti-corruption watchdog the Transparency International on January 23, 2020. Denmark and New Zealand jointly claimed the top rank with a score of 87 each out of 100. Denmark was the top rank holder last year also. Finland (86) follows close second. The corruption index uses a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). India was ranked 80th position with a score of 41 in the current index moving down two ranks. Last year India was ranked 78th.