12/04/2016
1) What is the name of the new payment interface that was launched as its most ambitious project by the National Payments Corporation of India Ltd (NPCI) on 11 April 2016 and is expected to bring about a significant shift in the way mobile banking transactions are conducted? – Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
Explanation: Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is the name of the revolutionary payments interface that was made live by the National Payments Corp. of India Ltd (NPCI) from 11 April 2016.
– UPI will allow users to make payments using their mobile phone as the primary device without the need to download a wallet app to send or receive money. With the UPI, money transfer will be as simple as sending a text message.
– Unlike the Immediate Payments Service (IMPS) which allows people to only send money, it will allow people to receive money and initiate requests, too.
– It will be inter-operable across different banks and will allow instant payments. In the first phase, which was launched on 11 April, 29 banks will operate the UPI platform.
– UPI is expected to bring about a sea change in the micro-payment landscape in the country.
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2) According to media reports published on 11 April 2016, Indian Government has formulated a comprehensive five-pronged strategy to stop infiltration in a bid to avoid incidents like the Pathankot attack. Under this strategy govt. envisages to completely lock India’s western border with Pakistan. What name has been given to this tech-savvy strategy that has been approved by the Centre? – ‘Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System’ (CIBMS)
Explanation: Under the proposed ‘Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System’ (CIBMS), CCTV cameras, thermal image and night-vision devices, battlefield surveillance radar, underground monitoring sensors and laser barriers will be used as a complete high-tech strategy to sanitise the border.
– This tech-savvy strategy formally known as the ‘Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System’ (CIBMS) has got the government’s approval recently.
– The plan is to cover the unfenced 130 riverine sections in the entire stretch of 2900 km borders with CIBMS in the next couple of years.
– This system is essentially a move to completely rely on technology to guard the borders as opposed to the manual system used currently.
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3) It was sweet news for tiger and wildlife lovers that global tiger population has started rising again after a century of steady decline. According to a latest report by the WWF what was the global tiger population in 2016? – 3,890
Explanation: The latest report by WWF, a non-governmental organization working for animal conservation and the Global Tiger Forum (GTF) shows that the number of wild tigers stood at 3,890 with India hosting 2,226, or more than half of them.
– After India comes Russia (433 tigers), Indonesia (371), Malaysia (250) and Nepal (198).
– A hundred thousand tigers roamed the forests of the world in 1900, but their numbers dwindled steadily, hitting a low of 3,200 in 2010 when the last estimates were compiled.
– The increase in tiger population has been attributed to rise in tiger populations in India, Russia, Nepal and Bhutan and factors like improved surveys and enhanced protection.
– In 2010, governments of tiger range countries – where tigers roam in the wild – at a summit in Russia agreed to act to double wild tigers by the next Chinese Year of the Tiger in 2022 and this goal is known as ‘Tx2’.
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4) Which two countries during April 2016 announced an ambitious project to construct a bridge over the Red Sea to link them and thus connect Asia and Africa? – Saudi Arabia and Egypt
Explanation: The announcement to construct a huge bridge over the Red Sea to mutually connect Saudi Arabia and Egypt was announced by Saudi King Salman on the second day of his state visit of Egypt on 8 April 2016.
– A Red Sea bridge linking the two countries has been proposed several times before but has failed to become a reality. However, the exact location of the bridge was not divulged. Previous estimates for the bridge project suggested a cost of around $3-4 billion, but no further information has yet been released for the latest plan.
– Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have supported Egypt with billions of dollars since President Sisi took power in 2013 following mass street protests. Saudi Arabia regards Egypt as a crucial partner in efforts to build a bloc of friendly Sunni Muslim states as a bulwark against growing regional influence of Shia-led Iran.
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5) Who won the FBB Femina Miss India title, final of which was held on 9 April 2016? – Priyadarshini Chatterjee
Explanation: Delhi girl Priyadarshini Chatterjee bagged the crown for FBB Femina Miss India World 2016 on 9 April 2016. She will now go on to represent India at the Miss World 2016 pageant.
– Bangalore girl Sushruthi Krishna emerged as the 1st runner-up and Pankhuri Gidwani from Lucknow was the 2nd runner-up of the contest.